"You Seem To Run Into People You Know Everywhere"

Yesterday night, I was thinking about something a friend of mine said to me a few years ago.  She had commented to me:  "You Seem To Run Into People You Know Everywhere".   I had decided I was going to blog about this topic tonight.

Well, before I even get started on the topic, my friend's comment was proven true once again tonight.  I went to a birthday dinner with some friends.  As I arrived at the restaurant, I ran into a former grammar school classmate who was also waiting at the restaurant with her friends.  We caught up a bit before I had to go to get seated.

As the dinner with my friends concluded, I was suddenly greeted by not one, but TWO young ladies.  These two were former basketball players of mine who are now in the working world.  The two ladies were just having a night out and we caught up a bit.  I hadn't seen the gals too often since I coached them but it was good to see and talk to them.

Back to the original point of the post now!  My friend had made the comment to me because it seemed like every time I was out with her and our friends, I would inevitably run into someone I knew.  To be fair, I don't think it was "EVERY TIME" but it happened often enough (and at different locations) that my friends did notice.

The question people may ask is why do I know so many people?  There's actually a pretty easy explanation.   The major reason is that I have participated in various aspects of basketball over the years.

I served as a assistant and head basketball coach for my old grammar school for the better part of 12 years.   In that time, I worked with 6 different teams.  Additionally, I was a spectator at games for other teams in the program.  So not only did I know my own players, I knew the coaches and players from the others teams.

I have worked as a basketball official for about 20 years (20 years in youth, 10+ years in high school and adult).  Officiating introduces you to a ton of different people.  I've probably worked with hundreds of different referee partners over the years.   I've probably talked to tons of coaches and gym directors along the way.  Plus, don't forget the players.  I am surprised that some players actually REMEMBER that I officiated them was they were younger.   Plus, with the adult leagues I officiate, I tend to see some of the same players over and over so you get to know them over time.

Lastly, I've played in adult basketball leagues for the better part of 20 years.  I've played with dozens of teams and hundreds of different players.  Of course,  I've played against of ton of teams and players as well.

From this, you can see why I do have a tendency to run into a lot of people.  I may not know all these people well, but I do have a shared experience with them in one way or another.  To be fair, it's not all basketball people.  I do see former co-workers, classmates and other folks too.

I guess I'm just that popular.  Seriously, I just LIKE people and most people do seem to remember me too.  I am curious about people, love to talk and so it's natural I would easily catch up with people I haven't seen in a long time.

I'll leave on this note.  I have about 700+ Facebook friends.  I'm proud to say that most (if not all) are people I know in person (in one way, shape or form).  I don't randomly add Facebook friends for the heck of it.  Most of the 700+ Facebook friends would fit into the basketball, co-workers, classmates or just friends category!