Invisible in my new community

It finally happened, 6 weeks after we moved here:  I was in a store in town, and ran into someone I know! It took me by surprise, because for the past 2 months I haven't seen anyone I know, or even recognize, in a store, walking along the street, out to eat, or driving through town.

I've met a lot of people in Prescott, but there are around 40,000 residents and the odds of running into a familiar person, especially someone I know by name, are slim. I lived in southwestern Vermont for 22 years, and saw someone I knew every place I went. Sometimes it's nice to be an unknown. There are no expectations about what I'm wearing or what foods I'm purchasing at the grocery store. I don't have to search for people's names or be embarrassed when I don't remember where we met.

Not knowing many people forces me to be more outgoing. I strike up conversations with people in stores, and when they find out I'm new in town they tell me their favorite places to hike, or the best places to get lunch. I'm more likely to introduce myself to people at the gym, or talk about our workouts instead of focusing intently on my workout knowing I only have 20 minutes before the next appointment. I chat with the woman sitting next to me at the Saturday morning gardening class, and I even had a long discussion about the best places to buy quilting supplies with someone I met on the way to the bathroom while eating lunch downtown.

Because I'm out of the habit of recognizing people I know, I almost walked right past Wendy at Kohl's. In the back of my mind I thought:  I think I know her! Then she said hello, I remembered her name and that she's our interior designer from Bella Home Furnishings and we had a great conversation.

I wonder when meeting people I know will become part of my usual routine, something expected instead of unexpected?