Going Incognito

“Let me introduce myself. My name is Jill and I am 49 years old.” I ask you, is there anything wrong with being who people presume you to be?

I know a teacher at school who, no matter how many times I've reminded him what my real name is, continues to call me “Jill”. I’ve been called Susan many times (hey, it’s close) and occasionally Sarah - but JILL?! Most people rarely use your name when greeting you. They’ll say, “Hey, how’s it goin’?” or “What’s up?” This guy makes a point of saying the name he’s convinced I was born with in every sentence he utters. “Hey, Jill! How’s it going, Jill? You planning anything fun this weekend, Jill? Are you getting together with your family, Jill?”. He reinforces my name in his brain as if he is branding it with a searing hot iron to make sure he never forgets it. Even my family doesn’t use my name that often when speaking with me. I have since experienced the seven stages of grief with this guy and currently I am at the final one – acceptance (that he’ll never remember my real name) and hope (that others don't hear him and end up calling me “Jill” too). Did I mention he’s going to be the Vice Principal next year? I kid you not.

Moving right along, it is an ongoing fascination for high school kids to guess how ancient adults can be. During a recent interrogating conversation of "How old ARE you?!", I asked them, “How old do I look?” They of course responded with another question. “Are you between 45 and 50?” I answered the way any respectable person over the age of 50 would, “Yes!” Now they had a decision to make. Guesses of 46 and 48 were bantered about and finally Giovanni, with great conviction I might add, said “49!” I believe he chose this number because anything past 35 is OLD so 49 was next to death. I responded incredulously, “Giovanni!”  as I was actually thrilled I was being perceived as younger than 50. He took my reply to mean that he was correct. At that point they all started saying, “Oh, Ms. Griffin!! That’s it, isn’t it? We knew it!” I did not dissuade them from their expert sleuthing beliefs. I had to hand it to them, at least they knew my name!