So you think we've met before
Saying hi to strangers, and familiar faces on the subway
I’d like to think that you would remember me - that the familiar faces who strike me during my commute to and fro on Broadway see me as much as I see them. They probably don’t.
There’s a tall Columbia football player and a Barnard lady with bangs and striking eyebrows. I’d recognize them on the subway. I’d also recognize the vendors of my favorite farmer’s market stand, but that’s different.
There’s an asymmetry that I just can’t place. Why do some faces stick?
One time I ate luch with Emily, and her friend Nathan. A few weeks later, I saw Nathan at a school event and said hi, but he had no idea who I was. I thought he was pretending, maybe being mean, but I don’t think that anymore. He probably just forgot.
I don’t remember people’s names very well. I often don’t listen or am so focused on our interaction that I forget to file their names into my memory bank. Sometimes, I don’t even try because I’ll likely never see them again; sometimes, it’s because I don’t think they’re interesting enough. But how could someone ever think that about me?
Have you ever noticed a particular reason why you remember faces - is it attractiveness? Strangeness? Deep unfamiliarity? Is it random? I would love to know.
Nothing is personal, though it feels so.
And now, onto the cartoons. This week is all about LOVE. Send these to someone you love, and per usual, let me know what you think.
Xoxo,
Lila
(Please remember me!)