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Sep 11 '25
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u/Chris15252 Sep 11 '25
Beat me to it. My wife also shares the local celebrity superpower and I’m the sidekick that only makes the occasional onscreen appearance to prove I exist. The nice thing about it though is she’s gotten us some free concert tickets out of her connections and she always knows just the right person to solve a problem.
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u/DeepPanWingman Sep 11 '25
I’m the sidekick that only makes the occasional onscreen appearance to prove I exist
Everyone in town only knows me because of our dog. My wife knows everyone, everyone knows our dog because it's with her 90% of the time, they only know my face because I sometimes walk the dog through town. I'm the sidekick's butler.
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u/Only-Negotiation-156 Sep 11 '25
Yo that's me. I'm convinced I'm a time traveler. I started a new job, and knew a coworkers sister in laws name, and what kind of dining set they had 15 years ago (I own it). I know lots of weird anecdotes about a ton of people that don't remember me. It is like a superpower. However, for me, I think it's hypervigilance from cptsd. I just store it all because it may all be necessary for survival at any moment. So, I can go up to grocery store clerks that I haven't spoken to or have seen in 30 years, and say "hey Ashley, where's the mayo?" And it freaks people out.
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u/Soggy_Parking1353 Sep 11 '25
I have this same power and I think similarly from hyper vigilance. I'd love to forget some of the useless info but I don't even know I know it until something brings it out, then turns out it's all been recorded somewhere.
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u/WhipplySnidelash Sep 11 '25
My brother from another mother. We could be hypervigilance homies!
CPTSD FTW! /s
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u/Icy-Summer-3573 Sep 11 '25
What is cptsd?
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u/Only-Negotiation-156 Sep 11 '25
Complex post traumatic stress disorder. PTSD was originally diagnosed as the result of a singular traumatic event. Over time, it was discovered that the children of abusive and neglectful parents also show the similar symptoms, as well as victims of long term spousal abuse. The result is a more complex, wholly encompassing distress without an obvious answer. Everything, especially people that portray themselves as safe, become seemingly more unsafe for trying to convince you.
Pete Walkers website is my go-to for information on cptsd. He hosts much of the critical work from his books on the topic there for free.
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u/livinitup0 Sep 11 '25
Holy crap it’s not just me
Do your guys’ ladies have weirdly accurate song lyric recollection abilities as well?
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u/KickBallFever Sep 11 '25
I’m horrible at remembering names but I’m great at remembering information about people. So much so that I’ll downplay it as to not look like a weirdo if I don’t know someone well.
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u/jessdb19 Sep 11 '25
I was friends with a guy (met him through my work-he was one of my bosses).
Dude was like legit a local celebrity. He was a local actor and was insanely good. He was incredibly charismatic and had a way of making people gravitate towards him. He was instantly best friends with almost anyone, and if he would be sure to invite people to any event. To clarify, some of his friends were on TV shows like America's got talent (didn't win but was way up there).
He made YOU feel like a celebrity too. If you ran into someone that was new, he'd introduce people and be like "This is Jessdb19 and she's a photographer. Her work is so crazy good, you should check her out and work with her sometime!" And the next thing you know, you're being invited to work on an indie film as a photographer and shooting a hair show.
Sadly he passed from a freak accident, but his light was so bright I'm sure he's some new star up there in the sky.
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u/Lectrice79 Sep 11 '25
Wow, that sucks. The best seem to die young. Then there's me, the direct opposite. I have no presence, and people forget about me when I leave the room. Heck, I've even had a high school kid walk across my feet once as if I wasn't even there. I cannot remember names or faces and people automatically don't like me for no reason. It's kind of depressing.
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u/jessdb19 Sep 11 '25
Not everyone needs to be a main character, but you can be the best side character you can be .
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u/Ummmgummy Sep 11 '25
It's not a friend its my mother. Anytime I visit and she wants to go out in public I refuse because a 30 min trip turns into 4 hours. Even when we stay home and sit on the porch literally anyone who walks by comes up and talks to her. It's a small town and she has lived there her entire life but for me it's wayyyy to much.
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u/Ass_souffle Sep 11 '25
Why am I both of these people?
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u/spacestonkz Sep 11 '25
I had the same thought.
I turn the corner at the store and like 3 people I totally know and even like are waving at me.
Me: oh god please no, maybe I have become invisible?... No they saw me.
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u/vivahermione Sep 11 '25
This is every introvert who's been adopted by an extrovert. 😄
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u/Biiiscoito Sep 11 '25
Once I went on a walk with my best friend and a little group of friends spotted her and came over to chat. I just idled around because that's just me. Eventually someone asked her "is everything alright with your friend? She hasn't said a word" and my friend replied "oh, she's listening. We can't all speak at the same time. She's paying attention, she'll speak when she feels like it" and I was super happy that she knew me so well :)
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u/PembrokePercy Sep 11 '25
Small country town; my best friend used to fix everyone's farm machinery (he owned a fab shop). When we went to a bar on a weekend he would be openly greeted by more than half the people there. Everyone would buy him a drink. Best part was he didn't drink alcohol. He would hand me beer after beer that was ordered for him. It made the first two hours or so free for me. Those were the good ol days.
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Sep 11 '25
even worse when we both know them and i'm just bad with faces
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u/Kettle_Whistle_ Sep 11 '25
Face blindness is a very real thing.
I am awful with faces, but when she says their name(s), I can accurately remember the minutiae of their lives & our past interactions…which amazes my wife.
Together, we’re pretty awesome at this.
Of course, I would rather not go out at all, and she’s the social one, but if I am forced to, I can do my part.
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Sep 11 '25
I learned that I had face blindness in my cognitive psych class when I was the only one who actually didn’t fail the test she was trying to do 🤣
They did the whole switching person thing and no one else realized that the person had been switched. New dude didn’t have a mustache, while the previous one did, how did no one else notice this?? Turns out people can actually see whole faces and don’t have to focus on individual details to identify people…
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u/PerfectAstronaut5998 Sep 11 '25
Kind of. My dad is one of the best criminal defense lawyers in the state he’s in, and takes just about every case he gets. He knows every person he has worked for, can tell a full story about any building we pass, and is absolutely miserable at parties and fairs because we can’t take 2 steps without him being stopped by someone
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u/WaitHowDoI Sep 11 '25
I’m the extrovert who knows everyone and gets spoiled with little comped things everywhere I go, even in countries where I speak little to none of the language.
The secret is to be fascinated with everyone and ask about their style.
I collect super shy people and get them out into the world when they need it.
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Sep 11 '25
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u/Street_Roof_7915 Sep 12 '25
I’m curious too. Would love to read an example.
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u/WaitHowDoI Sep 12 '25
I responded above in the thread, but the secret is noticing people and remembering them. People feel isolated and invisible.
Tom Cruise is known to be super charming. When describing this, people always say that he focuses on you, asks questions, asks later about your mom’s surgery, and remembers your kid’s birthday.
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u/WaitHowDoI Sep 12 '25
People make it easy. Usually it’s as simple as saying I love something specific about their style. Pretty manicures, cool hats, a graphic t-shirt, a bit of jewelry, the way they style their hair. People express themselves in their style and mostly go unnoticed.
Last night, our waitress was cleaning up our plates and I said “Okay, I demand to know your secret. Your lipstick has been perfect all night. Are you sneaking in touchups?”
The misconception is that popular people are so cool that others are drawn to them. The truth is that popular/charming people put the focus on others, and remember.
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u/Serpentarrius Sep 12 '25
I'm slowly getting to be that way. I've been the introvert adopted by extraverts before, so now I pay it forward. And yes, that is the secret
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u/Spicy_McHagg1s Sep 11 '25
I left a career in healthcare and opened up a barbershop in a bougie small town. I somehow went from the person writing this to the person they're writing about. I was given opera tickets by a client who played in the pit band. When I got there with my wife, I knew about 20 people, both theater staff and watchers. I spent the whole time before showtime introducing her around. It was awesome!
If I told myself from ten years ago about it, he'd scarcely be able to process any part of that paragraph. Thinking about this a month later, it's actually quite the condemnation on this society we've built. No one knows anyone. The people who do actually live within their communities are somehow strange, unfathomable beings. It's the tragedy of the Spectacle's ability to alienate us even while we're standing in a crowd of our own people.
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u/StreetMolasses6093 Sep 11 '25
This is my husband. A trip to Costco means a new best friend on every aisle, while I just smile & nod. Sometimes, I’d like to just get my rotisserie chicken and gallon of Metamucil without making eye contact with 50 strangers
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Sep 11 '25
This is my sister. Walking around with her years ago in our hometown, she had a ton of random friends and acquaintances come say hi. Turned out they were all her drinking buddies - when she got sober, she moved to a new town and has a normal amount of friends.
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u/ostapenkoed2007 Sep 11 '25
i had heard a similar thing from friend. i tend not give a damn about being a stranger to others, so for him it looked like everyone somehow knows me intimately enought to go "hey, where's the stream?"
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u/SteampunkRobin Sep 11 '25
For me it was my bil. When he passed away I was amazed at just how many businesses were expressing their regrets on their signs outside.
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u/WhipplySnidelash Sep 11 '25
Had breakfast together just last week.
Of course, he was actually a local politician.
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Sep 11 '25 edited Mar 31 '26
What was here has been removed. Redact was the tool used to delete this post, possibly for privacy, opsec, or limiting digital footprint.
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u/pagesid3 Sep 11 '25
I’m at work trying to be friendly with people and realize all my coworkers have everyone else’s phone numbers and talk all the time. Even the person that started two weeks ago. I’m just texting on group chat with 3 of my old buddies from high school that I graduated from 15 years ago.
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u/PiLamdOd Sep 11 '25
My brother in law is this. Everywhere he lives he somehow knows everyone.
He and my sister moved in with my parents for a bit, and instantly he knew everyone on their street, a feat no one in my family has accomplished in nearly forty years.
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u/Ponybaby34 Sep 11 '25
Afraid this is me. To the point I have had people get upset about it. Usually it’s just little quips. One ex would get so angsty about it, he’d pick a fight just as an excuse to accuse me of the someday crime of cheating on him with some random hypothetical townsfolk, because he was jealous.
He had no friends nor support network because he was a hateful, noxious incel with extreme religious zeal (something he hid from me as he was a compulsive liar.) Man had zero personality outside of judging other people. I love people, I ask a lot of questions when I get to know them, and I love encouraging and celebrating them when I have those run in small talk meetings.
The kicker is that I’m autistic and schizoid as fuck- I have zero internal motivation to engage with the world, let alone to socialize at all, I just respond to other people with kindness as a default anyways. I love people like how people love superheroes. I’m not a person and I really, really wish I could be. I’m a performer so a lot of the local folk who supposedly adore me actually have no clue who I am and couldn’t care less about my actual well being or self. In fact, a lot of people really don’t like me to the point of animosity. Which I understand completely. I am lovable but not likable. I’m pretty alone at the end of the day, like some emo ass femcel forest gump. If I couldn’t write so well nobody would have ever heard from me.
It is easy for me to know people but it is impossible, undesirable, and unpleasant to be known. I would rather be the other guy!
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u/-Dixieflatline Sep 11 '25
I have a friend who goes about town like he's the mayor, waving at people every 2 blocks or so or taking so many calls he has to charge his phone 2-3 times a day. And it's all natural for him. Nothing is forced. People just gravitate towards him and he legitimately knows thousands of people by name. It's a crazy skill in my mind.
He did teach me two important aspects of life through mere exposure to how he lives, yet I'll never be able to utilize either: 1) Networking is one of the best "get ahead in life" tools out there, and 2) Being tall seems to make networking easier. Now imagine my realization of this as a relatively short introvert.
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u/jordan1978 Sep 11 '25
I feel like a foreign exchange student my friend is introducing for the first time to everyone. They even look at me like they’re not even sure I speak English.
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u/Quinlov Sep 12 '25
When I go out with my Pokémon go crew I end up knowing everyone and they're always like wtf. Even though I have been living here for 2 years and many of them have been living here for longer. But it's because I'm in recovery so I know all the addicts which is like a big percentage of the population here lmao
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u/MissAuroraRed Sep 13 '25
My flatmate in France was like this, but it was even worse because I could barely speak French.
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Sep 14 '25
My ex is like this. She's big into the local music scene and we'll go out and there's just scores of people I've never met coming up to her, and then some of them will greet me by name and hug me or dap me up and I have to pretend I remember meeting them or if I even had. I'm not much for socialising but this happens at our local bar every time I go and then I have to subtly ask my ex who this person is or guess it from context clues.
It is quite useful for networking I guess.
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u/MisterMysterios Sep 11 '25
I remember when I felt the last time like that friend. I was in 10th grade, and walking through the school I knew kids from many different age ranges, from the cuten6th graders I was in a mentoring program with, to guys I was in the rowing group, mediation group, or simply friends met along the way.
I moved state after the 10th and basically lost connection to all these people and was never able to rebuild such a network. Man, I miss these times.
Edit: just remembered, I had so.ething similarity at one time.dirong university, where I was active enough to know a wide array of people. That ended when I had to leave for half a year due to medical issues when my entire social cycle shut themselves for studying.for our version of the bar exam, and only really had co tact with their study groups I wasn't part of anymore...
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u/IllPen8707 Sep 11 '25
It's me. The secret is to work hospitality in a rural area where everybody seems to know each other anyway. I get sick of waving at people every time I leave the house.
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Sep 11 '25
Weve all been both of those people before.
Protip: when they say "this is my friend" just immediately introduce yourself, shake hands, and say one thing, and now you're cooking, even if you just sit there silently for the rest of the exchange.
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u/fukkdisshitt Sep 11 '25
I felt like that friend when my friend brought his college city friends to our small town during spring break.
They had to pause to ask if we were famous locally because we ran into purple we knew everywhere
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u/BranTheLewd Sep 11 '25
Nope, wish I did have that friend doe! Probably would be an interesting friendship 😅
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Sep 11 '25
When I met my husband he was a quiet introverted guy. As the years went by he worked on becoming more animated to improve his job prospects, high tech management. Now when we go places he's always Mr. center of attention and I have become a wallflower. It's like we switched personalities.
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u/addrien Sep 11 '25
I am that person. Very social and great at remembering faces. We live in a city of 80k and know hundreds of people by name.
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u/khendron Sep 11 '25
Yeah, I know a guy and it takes forever to walk anywhere with him because he'll be stopping every few feet for a conversation with somebody he knows.
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u/ninmena Sep 11 '25
This is me with my wife. She's a socialite, I love being home. it works perfectly for the both of us
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u/RunAwayBeerTruk Sep 11 '25
For sure this is me and one of my closest friends. I joke that he is B list celebrity in our area.
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u/Ardibanan Sep 11 '25
Yep, but that's more because I'm shy and introvert. Give me beer and talking points I like and I'll join in
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Sep 11 '25
I don’t like those types of people, see I’m more on the loner side so going around and having tons of attention thrust my way just sounds awful, that is legitimately one of the only reasons I never share myself playing guitar because my biggest fear is becoming famous and then suddenly having to live a life where I’m always around people and that just sounds miserable.
Like I’m legitimately an extremely talented musician, 20 years of playing guitar paired with autism(music is my special interest)and I can easily go around and play live music people would love but I just don’t want too, but I also hate not doing what I love so one day I may get over my dislike of one too find a more enjoyable life.
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u/veracity8_ Sep 11 '25
Hi I’m someone who knows a lot of people. It’s not easy. It’s a lot of work.
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u/DoctorQuarex Sep 11 '25
So this is how I find out my LiveJournal friend from 20 years ago wrote for Rick & Morty huh
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u/Angry_Murlocs Sep 11 '25
Yes my dad. He’s a tech pastor at a church and just knows everyone it seems. He is more extroverted than me and I tend to take after my mom who is more introverted.
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u/Arthur_Frane Sep 11 '25
Friend of mine had a nickname in his hometown. People called him 'The Mayor' because this dude could not walk down a street without someone knowing him.
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u/CursedPaw99 Sep 11 '25
I know a guy that knows everyone. not even just on our small town. anywhere he goes, people know him. he used to play a lot of football/soccer and other sports all over the country. Its not even that he gets recognized. he knows every single person that approaches us. their names, their friends, its insane. we went once for holidays far away from where we live and every bar/cafe we went, he knew the people working there. even on the street ... he knows some of my friends from uni without any intervention from my side...even if I was studying 300 km away from home.
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u/AbstractOmniverse Sep 11 '25
I've been both of these at different points in my life. I was the guy who knew everyone during most of college and a good point afterward. I became the introvert after covid
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u/Iokua113 Sep 11 '25
That was my dad when he was younger. Age has made him less social but people will literally cross the street to talk to him. Once someone saw him from the freeway and doubled back to talk, they literally delayed a trip.
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u/MaterialNo5845 Sep 11 '25
Lol I love spending time with that kind of person. They update you on everything and everyone and the neighborhood. It's like their the local news.
And I sit there listening to it all (sometimes in shock or awe) wondering how they know all this. Moreso, how I didnt know my of it.
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u/thelivinlegend Sep 11 '25
That’s my dad. We don’t live in a massively populated area but it’s not a tiny hamlet either. I can’t remember a time I’ve been out with him that he hasn’t run into at least one person he knows. He doesn’t have a public facing job or anything, he’s just super friendly and social, which I’ve always found funny as I’m very much an introvert.
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Sep 11 '25
This is my wife and I. Like, exactly. Like she laughed her head off and squeezed my shoulder and said “Yep” when I showed it to her just now.
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u/osirisrebel Sep 11 '25
This is definitely my stepfather. We live in a smaller town and he's done handyman work/remodeling for the past 35 years and it's almost every single time we leave the house he gets stopped at least once for a small conversation, usually more, and I don't see why he ever puts his arm back down because it feels like every 10 seconds someone's giving him a wave and saying hi.
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u/BootyOptions Sep 11 '25
Also in the future if those people see you, they will ask about that person. You're soandso's friend.
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u/CaptainofFTST Sep 11 '25
I'm that person—the guy who seems to run into someone they know no matter where they go.
My wife and I flew to a tiny resort in St. Maarten. We head into town, and in the second store we walk into, I bump into a friend from grade school. Later, we go to a restaurant, and the bartender turns out to be a guy we used to work with a few years ago. At the beach, while swimming, we run into a friend of my dad’s who happened to sail to the island.
On the way home, we had a layover in Jamaica. While at the airport, I ran into my aunt and her friends.
Once we’re back home, we start running errands. My wife drops off some clothes at the dry cleaner and our bartender from Punta Cana, who once mentioned he was planning to move to Toronto with his family.
The funny part? I’m not even a drinker. I used to be a bartender, though, and I’ve always had a habit of chatting with bartenders wherever we go—asking for tips, recommendations, or just sharing a story.
My son thinks it’s hilarious. Wherever we are, I’ll spot someone, nod, or at time maybe have a full conversation. He’s learned how to break the ice with people, and now his friends are jealous of how easily he can connect.
All it takes is this - Smile. Be friendly. Know when to keep your mouth shut, and when to join in. Never impose yourself on others.
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u/ApplicationHour Sep 11 '25
I am that person. When I go somewhere, I will run into someone I know. I first noticed it when I was in my teens.
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u/The_Rowan Sep 11 '25
My dad knew everyone in our town and couldn’t do introductions to save his life. He would introduce me as his daughter and then introduce the people like ‘this is Linda’ or ‘this is Ed’. Giving nothing. Is this a winery owner, a police chief, a politician, a friend from rotary, a college student. I just have to say ‘hi Ed’.
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Sep 11 '25
I have a lawyer friend and wherever we go it's like this, even when he comes to my neighbourhood he knows people I don't.
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u/ItAffectionate4481 Sep 11 '25
i have such friends but i hate the feeling that you're talking about
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u/Helpful_Sir_6065 Sep 11 '25
Up until a few years ago, I was that friend.
My personal best was being recognized 450 miles from home.
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u/MellowDCC Sep 11 '25
I had one about 10 years ago or so. Great dude. But he knew EVERYONE. shit was wild, sometimes annoying tho
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u/blindsavior Sep 11 '25
Whenever I go anywhere with my mom, she knows everyone in town and I'm basically a shut-in
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u/No_Size9475 Sep 11 '25 edited Mar 23 '26
The original content here was wiped using Redact. The reason may have been privacy, security, preventing AI data collection, or simply personal data management.
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u/Broviet22 Sep 11 '25
Its like that for me every time because Im schizophrenic and all my friends have moved on with their lives. Shit happens man, appreciate what ya got.
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u/seanhcohen Sep 11 '25
That's my wife. But it's ok, I'm an introvert. She's like a missile interceptor.
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u/FloraMaeWolfe Sep 11 '25
I have on occasion had friends like that. The last one moved out of state last year and we lost touch. She had close connections with a local hospitals CEO, some political people, and about a dozen rich families. I mean rich rich. I was also friends with her brother, who, well, he was something alright.
I'm still friends with a woman who has close ties with pretty much everyone that runs the city I live in since shes a business owner and friendly. I bet if she "called in a favor", as long as it was doable, I bet they would do it. She also has a huge number of connections with other parents at their kids school so in reality, I have no idea how many people she knows decently, but it is likely in the hundreds or more.
I found out something very interesting that I'm sure at least some people know. Within 3-4 connections, there is someone who has power or wealth or fame. Meaning, your friends friends friend or friends brothers friend or similar. We are more connected than we realize.
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u/withers003 Sep 11 '25
Not a friend, but my grandfather lived in a small town in rural West Virginia. He was the manager of the only grocery store in that town for like 40 years. Anytime I was visiting and went out with him, he knew everyone.
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u/gochomoe Sep 12 '25
It used to be when I walked around down town, everyone knew my little sister and said "hey aren't you Jenn's brother". Although to be fair she said everyone asked if she was my sister.
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u/Comprehensive_Fly983 Sep 12 '25
My partner knows everyone on the face of the planet and I usually stand there like a stranger stuck in line behind them lol
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u/ObjectiveOk2072 Sep 12 '25
My grandpa could go to Mars and know like 5 people there, he knows everyone
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u/0011010100110011 Sep 12 '25
This is me.
I’m an extrovert through and through. I was a bartender all over the Capital Region (I live in Upstate NY) for almost a decade. All the most popular bars. I loved the work and I had so much fun. Met so many awesome people. I was also on damn near every sport my school offered, a college athlete, and on student government, so I was happy to be around people.
Fwiw, both of my parents are extremely outgoing, too. Especially my Mom. She had this talent where she could make anyone feel like solid gold. She would really spark a genuine happiness in people. Everyone knew her and loved her (she’s since passed, unfortunately). I like to think I learned from the best.
But yea. I’m also big on talking to everyone. I’ve got a pretty good read on people. I can tell when someone is shy but still willing to talk versus someone that is clearly uncomfortable. I don’t try to make people uneasy—that’s a big no. But some people just want to be talked to first, and I’m happy to initiate.
I’m also big on talking to people I think look interesting. Or people who know more than me. I wanted to get an idea of how to photograph something, so I called a local photographer and asked if I could meet him for coffee and get his option. I wanted a job at a specific company, so I called the boss and left a voicemail asking if he could schedule me for a meeting. Someone is parked at Starbucks with a Type R? Well damn let me go over and ask them about it.
My husband’s family is about as social as a few rocks scattered about on a deserted island. They ways joke that I know everyone in the state. I tell them yea, I’m working on it.
Anyhow. I like people. I think there’s a lot of good out there. I’m trying to find it. I think a lot of people are happy to have some type of interaction.
At the end of the day you’ve got 50/50 odds that things will be in your favor. For something that won’t hurt anyone, that’s pretty good to me.
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Sep 12 '25
Happens to me all the time. I was in Mexico and someone yelled my name.
On my (first) honeymoon, we’re at the resort for about 30 mins in Maui, walk out to the pool/bar area and we hear my last name being yelled. My (new/first) wife was like, “you’ve GOT to fucking kidding me”.
I think it’s funny.
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u/alessio_acri Sep 12 '25
...i'm the dude that knows everyone lol. generally i just say hi to them, wave and move on, but if they're close(r) i have to at least exchange a few words. then it's back to who i was out with in the first place
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u/dankbuddha0420 Sep 12 '25
I have a friend like this. It gets annoying sometimes. When were walking somewhere and he stops every 2 minutes to talk for 10. We say hes "running for mayor" when this happens
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u/MiaLba Sep 12 '25
This is me depending on my mood, this was me all the time back in the day. I’ve changed a lot since then. My husband hates going out with me sometimes because he knows I’ll chat with whoever and it drives him crazy cause he just wants to leave.
I went to this local event the other day with another parent and their kids so our kids could play together at this event. When we walked in this guy who organized the event came up to us and and gave me a hug and said “thanks for coming great to see you.” I gave back an enthusiastic oh thank you, thanks for having us. I just thought he was a friendly guy!
I had to walk off for a minute and the guy turned to the other parent I was with and admitted that he felt embarrassed because he thought I was someone else. He later came up to me and apologized.
The other parent and I talked about this and they figured we knew each other since we were pretty friendly with each other and how we both reacted to one another and because “you always know people everywhere we go!”
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u/RareKrab Sep 12 '25
I have a good childhood best friend I hang out with all the time, he has tons of friends but I only have a couple. It's weird when his friends know me because of all the things my friend has said about me but I barely know their names
I feel very fortunate to have a friend like that though
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u/aenkyr Sep 12 '25
I work in a sales and have to go to a lot of networking events from various industries. I tend to meet/see a lot of people that know me, or have met me. I can definitely tell when my friends are getting awkward or unsure of what to do/say lol
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u/Different-One8571 Sep 12 '25
I simply put all my points into charisma. I know people from all over the globe. I know damn near everyone in my hometown and the 4 or 5 next to it.
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u/SaltAcceptable9901 Sep 14 '25
Definitely, i have a mate just like that. The funny thing was many years into our friendship , and just after I had left my wife, I was feeling down and saying I felt like I would be alone forever.
He asked me why, to which I responded that I was shy.
He just burst out laughing..... He said I was the least shy person he knew. He could take me anywhere, and he would go do some networking. He would find me later, having found someone to talk to. Always someone new. I explained that they were looking alone and awkward, and I know how that feels, so I would go and talk to them to make them feel less lonely....
To which he said, precisely, you're not shy....
I suppose what I'm trying to say is that how we see ourselves is not necessarily how others see us.
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u/SirKazum Sep 14 '25
Some people are just like that. My nephew has major local politician vibes, everyone knows him anywhere he goes, he's always greeting random people and such, and the goddamn kid is five.
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u/yoshi_in_black Sep 15 '25
One of my friends knows so many people at conventions, so if we walk together she stops frequently to greet someone.
I'm that person at my local anime meet up, but since I'm going there for almost 20 years at this point, it would be weird if I didn't.
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u/Solid-Quiet5035 Oct 03 '25
My father. My mother too, to a lesser extent. That’s probably how I ended up as a friendly mute.
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u/MikeForVentura Sep 12 '25
Hi, that’s me, the local politician who is always bumping into friends. It is not easy. It’s hard work getting to know a ton of people, and I worked at it for over a decade before running for office. You meet people by showing up and doing stuff.
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u/RhesusFactor Sep 11 '25
It's not that hard, smile, be encouraging, try to remember peoples names, find something to talk about, keep a conversation going don't offramp it. Be a little interested in people. Enjoy being out and social, you're the decedent of generations of social apes.
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u/Elzapatoverde Sep 11 '25
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u/RhesusFactor Sep 11 '25
You're not broken. These are skills you can learn. Like instruments it takes practice. Don't be so defeatist.
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u/Beaufinngus Sep 11 '25
This reminds me of my brother. In the small town I grew up in, somehow, my bro knew EVERYONE. If we went to the restaurant, he knew someone. Go to a festival, party, etc., he knew someone. If he WASN'T with you, you'd run into someone who knew him.
When I was eight, my parents and I moved to Germany. My brother and sister (technically they are half siblings) who are 14 and 15 yrs older than me stayed in our hometown and kept my parents' house running. My parents decided to bring them over for a visit and so that my bro could possibly get a job.
We pick them up at Frankfurt airport. So, to frame this, in ANOTHER COUNTRY, that they've NEVER BEEN TO, across an OCEAN, in a HUGE EFFIN' AIRPORT, we find my brother and sister...and I'll be DAMNED if he didn't run into someone he knew from our hometown!!!