Dear Friend, for better or for worse, I know everyone. I don’t really know everyone, that’s an insane idea. But I certainly have this idea thrown at me when hanging out with people for the first time. Take this entry.

New friend, taking them to the movies. We go to familiar places and unfamiliar, all local. We go to a restaurant I am a regular at, and of course everyone knew me. From the staff to the customers in some cases. This friend was almost put off from the whole encounter. How had I managed to get us free food and turned what could have been an incredible wait into a few short minutes. Easy; “I know a guy”.

We went to a grocery store where I ran into other friends, an old mentor and I knew the check out person. This further built up an intrigue for this new friend. From seeing the other friends to show diversity in my collection of found family to my old mentor who showed my wisdom and experience in a given thing. I’m being vague on purpose but given the subject matter it’s required.

We go to the movie theater, our destination for the evening. It’s a place that I frequent on average three times a month, sometimes more. I knew everyone there. Every single person we interacted with had my stuff memorized and brief interactions between them all.

I must add, I never outright initiate things like an old forgotten highschool classmate reaching out to a former fellow classmate saying things like “That third period science class, am I right?” I never stoop so low. My interactions are genuine to the people who hold me in the peripheral memories.

I am a “I know a guy” person. Got a problem, question or need advice. I know someone in that category. If I don’t, I add it to my makeshift collection.

Have you ever heard of the thought palace idea. It’s a mnemonic device used to associate things by familiarity. I don’t literally see a palace in my head, but I am able to very clearly visualize ideas. I do use this familiarity tool somewhat where I ascribe details to a person to better recall information about them. Vague ensembles of truthful core tenets that I tack onto a person. From there I can imagine them in nearly any situation time or reality. I also use this ability to write my characters.

Dear Friend, do you have a place. Beside home or work, perhaps your third place, that you genuinely know everyone. Put yourself to the test, learn the people around you and their situations. I challenge you: Learn one new detail about everyone in a given place. No matter how big or little, something that can help shape the image of that person for you in your mind.

In the end you will be alright.