Anonymity

I was reading a book that noted how we go through life, encountering all sorts of people, but we like to remain secure in our little bubble of anonymity. Whether it is the checkout lady at Safeway, the barista at Starbucks, the gas station attendant, our mechanic, our waitress... We like to maintain a certain "arms-length" distance from people. Sometimes they wear name tags... and sometimes they don't... For sure, we don't wear name tags! What would it be like to ask their names? To acknowledge that we see them a lot... and like it or not... we have a certain relationship with them... Wouldn't that be a great way to foster some more connections in our world... to bring the world a little closer together?

I've been out to dinner where my dinner partner has made a point of acknowleding the name of the waiter/waitress... Usually, they do say "Hi, my name is ....  and I'll be your server tonight"... What a great way to forge a connection... to acknowledge their name when we say thank you to them... To make a request prefaced by their name... It's a great example for me... and one that I am still learning how to put into practice....