For a smart, educated and intelligent man, Mark (name changed), made a terrible first impression. And a worse second impression. He had this terrible habit of forgetting names and instead of apologizing and stating the obvious, he acted as though we were meeting for the first time. On our third encounter, I looked him in the eye and told him we had already met, twice. Then I suddenly realized that I had forgotten his name too.
An American historian, Henry Schoolcraft, compiled a list of tales based on American legends. (Henry Longfellow's The Song of Hiawatha is based on these tales). He had to learn the names and meanings of people from different tribes. Schoolcraft's Red Indian wife was called Jane, Oh-bah-bahm-wawa-ge-zhe-go-qua (the Woman of the Sound the Stars Make Rushing Through the Sky), Johnston. Her mother was called O-shau-gus-coday-way-qua (The Woman of the Green Prairie).
If only we could associate names with the first thing we see people doing?
Man who was watching the sky with dismal disappointment as the first drops of rain poured on his pudgy face. And my forgetful friend who inspired this post could be, Oh man of confusion, let me tell you my name again. I guess then our parents would call all of us, Oh little wailing pink child...
No, that's not going to work. I'm going to have to confess to Mark that I forgot his name.
