Confidence with Names, A Rarity

It's the beginning of the semester, and that includes learning new names and faces. I try to learn people's names because I know people appreciate the effort. Learning and remembering the names of people we meet seems to be a rare skill because most people apologize for being "bad with remembering names." In all honesty, I tend to be very good with names.

For example, in my social dance classes we change dance partners frequently, so I get to meet and learn the names of each of the ladies in the class. As I approach each dance partner, I greet them by name. Today was the third session of the class so by now I've met a good portion of my classmates. When we switched dance partners and I greeted the next young lady in the dance line, we greeted each other by name. What she said next took me a little by surprise: "I'm pretty good at remembering names."

I was surprised because I just don't hear people say that very often. Usually I'm the only one in a group that seems to make such a claim. It was refreshing to meet someone else who was confident with names like I usually am. I am grateful to have met someone else with that rare gift: the confidence to "be good with names."