I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I forget people’s names. Always have, and it’s possible I always will. I’ve tried different tricks and techniques, but nothing has been very helpful. It’s like my brain is a hockey goal, and there is this NHL All-Star goalie in my head who smacks away anyone’s name as soon as it is uttered. My husband and I attended a function recently where we ran into a couple that we met at the previous year’s event. Now, I recognized the couple as soon as I saw them. I remembered their stories, where they lived and why they were at this particular event. I remembered all of that, but their names escaped me. Luckily, this was a party where everyone was wearing a nametag. As soon as I saw their names, I remembered that, yes, they were, in fact, Tim and Holly. (These are not their real names, of course. I’ve changed them because they are innocent parties in all of this.) Since I was going to be seeing them a few more times that same weekend, I was determined not to forget their names again. So, I checked that brain goalie and let Tim and Holly’s names sail into the net. (She shoots, she scores!) Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that I’ll get to see Tim and Holly again until next year’s event. By then, it’s entirely possible that I will have forgotten their real names and mistakenly call them Tim and Holly.
