Just Plain Asking to Get What We Need

The city is doing something to the sewers that involves many holes in the street, many giant yellow machines, and many no-parking signs. Parking was a little tricky before this all started.

I went out one morning and looked around and just grabbed a handful of my hair. The project was underway, vehicles everywhere. I was sure that when I got home from work, there would be no place left to park. The foreman came over and talked with me. He reminded me that I was stressing myself, and also stressing him. I told him about my spine injury and what an adventure it can be to find a parking place or walk home from one on these root-swelled sidewalks. And someone in the crew had gone off with my red cones that keep my sidewalk clear. He sent a man to bring them back.

I finally gave up and went inside.

When I came home from work,amazingly: the yellow machines were parked somewhere out of sight. The place I usually park was not only empty, but the foreman or some dear person had put one of my red cones smack in the middle of it to save it for me! I've never seen him again, and may never get to thank him. The whole thing taught me that if you find the right person (even if you don't know he's the right person)just saying what you need can be enough.

Just put my money back where you found it!

For the first time in ages, I bought TIME at the checkstand.  I salute the woman named Phyllis for talking back to Michael Crowley, who supposedly wants Social Security payments cut.   So for the only time, I wrote to TIME:

To: letters@time.com

Let's hear it for Phyllis Hagmaier, Williamsburg, VA (January 10)!
Social Security is not a gift. Not only have we paid into Social Security all our lives, but people working long past retirement age still pay in.


Then Medicare is deducted from the monthly payout. And it pays only part of medical expenses.

The names of people who authorized "borrowing" should be published. But above all, the debt should be repaid.
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Maybe we should stop worrying for a minute about identity theft, and get our Social Security savings paid back.

Thanks to TIME for publishing Phyllis' letter.