Two of a Kind

I've grown up being teased. Especially by my mom. "You know somebody everywhere we go!" she'd comment.

And I did. Don't tell me how or why, but I KNEW a lot of people. And for me, that wasn't out of the ordinary, it was just who I was.

When I was 2 or 3, I used to have a special friend that I would smile and wave to at the grocery store. Every time. And either my mom went to that particular store A LOT, or I was just naturally friendly. Maybe both.

I can also remember traveling back east, about 10 years ago, to visit my sister. During our stay, we decided to visit the D.C. temple. While touring the grounds, lo and behold, a friend from college calls out my name.

Several times my parents would visit me at BYU and realize that everywhere I go, people said hi to me and I said hi back. This was normal.

Never thought it was genetic, though.

Today, as I'm sitting in the front office of the school, I start talking to the assistant principal. The second that I tell him my name, he says, "Oh, you're Aliza's mom." Like they're best friends. Or as if she's been attending this school longer than the year and a half that she actually has. This surprises me immensely, and I end up interrupting what he's telling me with "How DO you know Aliza?" Like I even need to ask. He just does.

Or like how does a second grade teacher, in a different track than Aliza, even know who she is. AND gives her a book, to keep, with a message in the front telling her what a good reader she is and how he wants her to be in his class next year?

I could go on and on about my little social butterfly and how she spreads like a wildfire, but the truth is, she's just who she is. Just like her mom.