I’m
pretty good at remembering names, but I’m hopeless at matching names to
faces. The reason for this is simple. I just can’t see the faces. If
only people would identify themselves before starting a conversation!
That way I would be saved the embarrassment of needing to ask - Who are
you?
It’s not all doom and gloom. Sometimes I
can identify people because of a unique characteristic. For instance,
in winter Nettie wears a tall, fuzzy black hat and I can spot her before
she speaks. Norma has a shock of white hair, and Ulla has a strong
Dutch accent. I can recognize her voice before she says her name.
Things
are always easier when I meet people where I expect to see them. I
know and recognize by friends on the walking trail. I know and
recognize my friends when we meet for Monday morning coffee. It is when
I meet people not in their usual context that it is more difficult.
Last
week, Lyle and I were walking from the car park into the shopping
centre. We met a woman coming towards us with her loaded shopping cart.
She greeted us enthusiastically but I had no idea who she was. She
must have seen my blank expression, because right away she said, “It’s
Elsa from the church.”
Both of these clues were
helpful. I know three Elsas but only one from the church. Indeed, if
we had been meeting at the church I think I would have recognized my
friend. In the shopping mall I needed the additional identity check.
So,
the moral of this little story is - if you know someone who has limited
or no sight, please identify yourself at the beginning of a
conversation. Even if you are a friend it is helpful to do this. It
saves the person with low or no vision having to ask the question - Who
are you?
No comments:
Post a Comment