The Hard Thing Is Usually the Right Thing
Tweet · Jan 13, 2026
A story about humble pie--
I ran into a neighbor last night when the kids were outside playing.
John. Nice guy. We haven't ever hung out or anything, but we've waved and said hello to each other for the last several years.
As we were talking, John stops mid sentence and says
"hey man, I'm so sorry, I have a confession... I don't remember your name. You know mine and I've forgotten yours."
I laugh, tell him my name and assure him it's totally fine!
I admitted my secret was that I have a note on my phone with all the neighbors names that I know and I had to check it multiple times before I logged his to memory.
The point here is that it took A LOT for him to admit that he didnt remember my name. It's been several years of us waving and saying hello and me calling him by his name.
I'd bet that very few people would do that. It's so much easier to stick with "hey man!" Or "dude!"
We might think that it will offend the other person if we eat that humble pie and ask. But being on the receiving end this time, I didnt mind at all. In fact, I admire it.
As @mhp_guy likes to say-- "The hard thing to do is often times the right thing to do."