Article August 22, 1994 Issue

An alarm clock, a wooden elephant, and mistaken identity

Denise M. Bridge

One morning my husband spent a futile few moments endeavoring to turn off the alarm clock. It was early and, bleary-eyed, he fumbled with what he thought was the clock. In fact, what he'd picked up was an ornamental wooden elephant that's kept by our bed. No wonder he was unsuccessful in his attempt to silence the ringing! I had to laugh.

This made me think of how, sometimes, we confuse the identity of two people. For instance, at a glance, we may believe we recognize a friend on the street. But closer inspection reveals that that person is not who we thought he or she was.

When you think of that word identity, what comes to mind if you're asked to describe a particular friend? Is it such physical characteristics as height or shape or hair color? What about qualities that we associate with our friend—such as joy, sincerity, patience? Isn't it really these that are of prime importance to us?

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An alarm clock, a wooden elephant, and mistaken identity

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