A good friend told me this story when we met for coffee this morning:

She was recently at an interview for a position working with pre-K kids. One little girl, about 4 years old, ran up to my friend and said, “Hi! What’s your name?”

“Hi,” she replied. “My name is Grace.”

The little girl’s face fell. Her countenance grew confused, then astounded, then froze. She said nothing.

The teacher Grace was there interviewing with smiled at the young child and prodded gently, “Well, what’s your name?”

A pause.

Then, “But…my name is Grace!”

Until that moment, it had never occurred to Little Grace that anyone else in the whole world also had her name.

First of all, kids are awesome.

But second, I couldn’t help but think: What an earth-shattering, existential-crisis-sort of moment that must have been for her.

It got me wondering, when was the last time I had such a moment? When was the last time I allowed myself to have such a moment?

I think we do our best to shield ourselves from the unexpected. Safety from the unknown is key.

But sometimes, it’s good and necessary to be put in uncomfortable, intimidating, earth-shattering moments. It’s in those instances that we grow and learn most rapidly.

When was the first time you were confronted with the fact that someone else had your name?