Deleting Contacts

My phone/address book has over 600 contacts.  Granted some of those are double entered - or in some cases triple.  When Carolyn calls me the Caller ID on my phone says "Carolyn or 2 others".  Meaning, I have her under Carolyn.  Carolyn Maiden Name.  Carolyn Maiden Name Married Name.  This doesn't even count the fact I have her husband's name and number in there or her dad.  Because I could need to talk to them too.

Many and I would say MOST of my contacts are friends/family and people I've meet personally.  Then there is an entire group of work/professional contacts as well.  I'm usually pretty good about whom I put into the phone/contact list.  When I put someone in, if they are a business connection, I put their company information.

If I meet a person, through a friend or a friend of a friend, I put that instead in the "Company" information.  For example,  I have a whole group of contacts that say "Sams Mom" or "Jacks Dad" from first meeting various "parent friends".  Finally, a few years ago, I changed "Sams Mom" to "Lynda".  I figured by now she was my friend too.

Then there is the group of people I've met randomly - Jimmy "In Vail with Carolyn"; Jackson "cute guy with Rockies tickets", Julie "friend of Melody's".  That way when they do call/text, I can remember in what context I know this person. Or if I need to find them, I can search by some random clue.  As for some reason I can remember "remember that girl that's friends with Melody...." I'm usually really good at this as I talk to tons of people (occupational hazard) and can never remember their actual name, but how/why I meet someone.

A few years ago Carolyn and I were headed to Vail.  I was driving, she was in the passenger seat.  We went through my phone, her deleting contacts we didn't think were relevant anymore.  It felt good, a cleansing so to speak.  We had to weigh the pros/cons of deleting a couple.  But overall, I don't think I regretted deleting anyone.  Or keeping anyone.  Of course, on the way home, we were stuck in traffic.  We decided it was a good thing we had deleted some old numbers, no telling whom we would have called!

Although, I have to say, there are some I've tried to delete.  PeterPan.  Oh dear - I've deleted his number so many times, I can't even count.  I finally came to terms a few years ago that there was no point.  In fact, he's probably one of the only numbers I do still know from memory.

Or MM - another romance that faded away.  I finally deleted him.  Then one day, over a YEAR since I had heard from him, I receive a text "How are you? Just thinking of you.  MM".  He was put back in.  We don't really talk to each other much any more, but there is no point in deleting he will reappear.

It seems once you are deleted, if you come back, you get to stay.

Then, there are fun ones.  The random ones whom I forgot to identify.  Who the heck is this???

On Saturday afternoon I received a text and the named showed up in my phone as "Brendan Slate" (no that is not his real name) and the text says "Hey! How are you? Want to meet in Vegas in May?  Unless of course you are still in Kona"  Brendan.

Who the heck is Brendan Slate?  I had no "clue".  No identifying marker.  Hmmmm, let's see, well, I either met him right before, during or after Kona.  Hmmm, I wonder what summer?

I'm at the club, I'm drying my hair.  Oh.  Wait.  Hmmmm......

His area code 858 - I think that's California.  Hmmmm.  OH, wait!  He's that hot English guy whom played "football" for England and Australia. He played professional - I even now remember googling his name, I believe he played on the same team as Beckham for bit.  Oh, I remember him.  We met briefly.  We had dinner.  He went to the paddle club with me to canoe.  He met Nolan the day he arrived in Kona. Then he left.  He had been in Kona coaching a soccer clinic.

Oh, yes, I remember you.

And this is why we don't delete people from our contacts.

Because, yes, yes, I will meet you in Vegas.