• Now just a little older and more familiar •
[2 MIN READ]
Hanging out again post-run at The Pizza Wheel, I looked at the name of our young server on the bill. Sometimes restaurant staff use other people’s logins, so I confirmed it with her as we made to go. Meredith took the opportunity to point out that we’re neighbors. It took a little more conversation to figure out which neighbor she was, given that I’m not personal acquaintances with many adolescents on the street. Once I mentally registered the names of her parents (I actually only knew Mother, which contributed to my confusion) and she reminded me of her older sister’s name, everything fell into place. “My son was your [4-years older] sister’s 3rd-grade buddy when she was in kindergarten.” I didn’t point out that I saw Meredith maybe once since she was herself in 3rd grade, about 10 years earlier. Suffice to say her appearance had changed a little. Mine, on the other hand, hadn’t as much.
While this entire conversation was taking place, the other crew members were making their way out the door. As I said goodbye to her, I overheard one of them observe: “Calvin knows someone everywhere we go.” Probably not so oddly, it’s a sentiment that Wife has taken to making over the years.
This post is about communitizing, with the clarification that I only seem to know someone everywhere I go 😀 (iCandybyWangC). I do make deliberate efforts to know people I’m inclined to see repeatedly. It’s part of my process. I take note of someone’s familiarity and the likelihood I’ll cross paths with them again, then I offer my name and learn theirs. When I do see them again, I use their name and get to know them better. Admittedly, I often to have to ask their name again; but it’s equally as likely that I have to share mine again, too. This process is the way I got to know Meredith’s mother and sister. The more I thought about her, the more I also realized I knew her name too from the years before.
Read more about my process: Communitizing
So now I’ve extended community with Meredith a little. I’ve also extended community from run crew, because we’ll be back at Pizza Wheel again before long. And I’ll get to know her even better when we do.
Final shout out to The Pizza Wheel and Meredith: Hey, Dan! We love you-lot! (Crispy potatoes!) Thanks for putting up with us, especially when we smell and loiter after closing…
-CtCloser (Calvinthe), “Negative split or positive splat” #dothedue
FINE PRINT ¶Text and photos (unless otherwise stated): Calvin Wang (Wäng), CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. ¶Cross-posted: (1) Facebook JRC Growlers Group Run (2025’08’13’W Run Message), (2) GGR email list, (3) Cerebruns by CtCloser. ¶This website posting: Cerebrun with added caption.
2025’10’22’W: Edited (Title previously “Oh, That’s…”
iCandybyWangC 