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At Penn Station

Dear Diary:

I was returning to Long Island from what had been an exhausting four-day conference in Washington. As I dragged my heavy suitcase across Penn Station from Amtrak to the Long Island Railroad, every step challenged my 86-year-old body.

When I reached the board with the train schedule, I saw that my train to Huntington was to leave in five minutes. Rushing to the gate, I noticed that the escalator was out of order. Looking at the steep steps down to the platform left me feeling defeated.

Spotting a young man, I asked if he had a grandmother.

“Yes,” he answered warily.

“Do you like her?” I said.

“I love my grandmother,” he replied.

“Well, I’m an exhausted grandmother. Would you mind carrying my suitcase down to the train?”