Janetti Spaghetti

A Blog by Janet Camilleri

  • About
  • Business Blog
  • T & Cs
  • Contact

Why I’m Like an Elephant

May 8, 2023 By Janetti Spaghetti

It seems I have a lot in common with elephants – and I’m not talking about my size!

david-clode-OxsU3hHvG90-unsplash

I’ve always taken it for granted, but the older I get the more I’m realising that I have quite an unusual skill: an incredible memory for faces, especially when it comes to people I knew way back when.

They might have changed a LOT – gotten greyer, balder, heavier or thinner, wrinklier, with straight hair where once they had a perm – but I can still spot them. Usually I remember their names too (not so good at the names of people I’ve met recently though)!

what I looked like in Year 6
This is what I looked like in Year 6

I was at a business meeting a couple of years ago and I recognised the name of one of the fellows as somebody who was in my class in Year 6. I was actually the guest speaker at the event, so was able to have a bit of fun with it … I called out the fellow’s name and say “Did you go to such and such school? And was Mrs X your teacher in Year 6?”. People gasped in amazement and I was able to have a good chuckle and say, “I’m really not psychic, we were in the same class!”

group of business people at South East Brisbane Chamber of Commerce
It was at this event that I bumped into a classmate from primary school – though I didn’t think to get a photo with him!

Turned out he had only been at my school for a few months, so it’s pretty incredible that I remembered him. I think it was because his name had a very unusual spelling … yep, I’ve always been a bit of a word nerd ๐Ÿ˜‰ .

In fact, having the memory of an elephant has gotten to the point where it’s a bit embarrassing, because if I say something, theyย don’t have a clue who I am. Awkies, much?!

A couple of weeks ago I bumped into not one, but two people that I used to know – all in the same shopping trip!

The first was in a clothing store and we were both looking at the same rack, so I couldn’t pretend that I hadn’t seen her; so, I said hello. I needn’t have bothered though – she didn’t remember me at all! We both worked at our local library for about 3 years. She was very nice, and told me she’d retired about 7 years ago; and we reminisced about some of our workmates. But she clearly didn’t have a clue who I was!

woman holding up a book
What I looked like back in my library assistant days …
Fp clipping0001.JPG
Miss 26 and I back in my library days

Later the husbear and I popped into the op shop. I paid for my items at the counter and was served by a woman I recognised – we’d attended the same church in the late 1990’s – but after my experience earlier in the day, I didn’t say anything.

Then the husbear went through the till and instantly this woman said to him, “Your name wouldn’t happen to be ….. , would it?”. Yep, she’d recognised him and she also said he hadn’t changed a bit in all those years. (I should add he doesn’t know whether to be amused or insulted when people say this to him – it must mean he looked like he was in his 50s when he was only a spring chicken, LOL!). They chatted while I waited near the entrance to the store, and sure enough, she then said, “And how’s Janet these days?” – to which the husbear pointed at me and said, “She’s right there!”

I suppose my looks have changed a bit in the last couple of decades. These days I usually wear my hair up (something I never did when I was younger), I wear glasses, and yes, I’ve put on a bit of weight.

middle aged woman wearing glasses and holding a white fluffy cat
Holding one of my grandkitties, Annabelle

So if you’re a person from my past and we happen to encounter each other on the street, and I don’t say hello, please don’t be offended. It’s most likely I’m trying to save both of us the embarrassment … ๐Ÿ˜‰

Are you a bit of an elephant too? Or more of a goldfish?!

Filed Under: Ranty Pants

About Janetti Spaghetti

My real name is Janet Camilleri, and I love to write. Janetti Spaghetti is my third or maybe fourth blog ... but who's counting?

You can also follow Janetti Spaghetti on Facebook and Instagram!
Janet Camilleri Welcome to the world of Janetti Spaghetti! Perhaps we've already met - after all, I've been blogging for over ten years now. You may remember me from such blogs as Middle Aged Mama, Redland City Living or Footprints. I must be the master (mistress) of re-invention because here I am again! Here at Janetti Spaghetti, I'm blogging purely for the love of it - and I hope you enjoy reading, as much as I enjoy the writing. So grab a cuppa, get comfy, and come join me on the journey. Who knows where we will end up?!

Categories

  • A Sentence A Day
  • Animals
  • Beauty and Style
  • Career and Finance
  • Everything That Doesn't Fit a Category
  • Health and Wellbeing
  • Home and Garden
  • Leisure and Holidays
  • Memories
  • My Family
  • Ranty Pants
  • Relationships

[footer_backtotop]

Copyright © 2023 Website created by Front Page SEO