Where everybody knows your name...

Sometimes I have to wonder if the person who wrote the Cheers theme song has ever really been somewhere "where everybody knows your name." I have. Itcan be really great but there are also drawbacks. Learning people's names, which are often already difficult for me to pronounce, is further complicated by the fact that they are already addressing me by name. Not only do I feel awkward asking their name, but I am unsure of if there ever was an introduction or if I've ever even met the person before. I've learned a lot of my neighbor's names just by overhearing them over and over. After 6 months or so my running buddy asked if I knew her name. "Well, you're Ery's mom." Let it be known that this is how every knows her. It's actually Lidorice. The good news is that most people don't seem offended if I have to ask their name--I'm usually the embarrassed one. Or there's the person calling my name out of a large group, and afterwards I have no idea who to answer to. Also embarrassing. But for now I guess I'll just continue to enjoy the sounds of every small child shouting my name (or some version of it) as I pass by. No such thing as in cognito here.