One of the things that changed during our senior year of college was that they allowed us to keep our ucla.edu e-mail addresses. Instead of retiring our e-mail accounts and shifting to an alumni e-mail.

I have always had my e-mail forwarded to my Gmail account.

It was easier to navigate the Google inbox. I’m not even sure I know how to log-in through UCLA’s portal anymore. But despite all e-mails dumping into my main Gmail, I always give out my ucla.edu as my primary e-mail.

It’s on my resume.

It’s the e-mail I use when I purchase something at a store and they want to send me a receipt.

I use it for e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g.

Why, you ask?

Why wouldn’t I just use my Gmail instead of using this other account that then forwards directly to my inbox?

Well, here’s why.

Yesterday, while taking Ishu on a walk by the river, I got a call-back from the airlines. We are trying to book Ishu a ticket on our next flight home. But in order to tack him on to our already existing reservation, we needed to do that over the phone.

The man – over on his end – was plucking away at his keyboard. Trying to help me out.

Very minimal talking going on. He was taking care of shit on his end. And I was trying to make sure Ishu stopped kissing all the cobweb-covered lights we were walking past.

When he verified my e-mail address to send me the confirmation, he noticed the ucla.edu.

“Were you a student there?” he asked.

“Yes,” I started saying, “A long, LONG time ago.”

“My aunt worked there many, many years ago. Back when you guys were ON THE MAP for basketball. Back in those Wooden years,” he said.

We started chatting about everything. From basketball to LA living. He laughed when Ishaan’s shoe fell off and we ran back to go pick it up, breathless over the phone. He said, “These years are hard. But you’ll look back and remember the precious moments. I’ve gone through this myself and I promise you, you will look back so fondly on these tiring years.”

He laughed even harder when I told him that Ishaan was currently trying to push our stroller up a set of stairs. “That stubborn baby is just trying to assert his independence. What seems like stubborn right now is going to be a beautiful character trait as he’s older.”

And then, before we hung up, he had shared a Rick Rigsby YouTube video with me about the important lessons he learned from his father.

So, yes.

Why do I use my ucla.edu account?

Because it gives people a piece of me in what would normally be a plain, forgettable transaction.

It allows two strangers to potentially connect – having a nice, pleasant conversation over the phone – without meeting each other or knowing quite literally anything about each other.

Except, of course, that I went to UCLA.

There have been so many conversations that have originated simply from me providing my e-mail address. People trying to connect over their sports, over living in LA, over having family in California.

And, well, if choosing one e-mail address over another can do that? If it allows me to connect with others, sharing stories with one another?

Well, I’m obviously choosing the one that gives me connection.