Shit

Recently I was told not to worry about a medical bill that I had received and could not pay. That was excellent news, and I so very much wanted to believe it. Today I received two more bills, for twice the amount of the original one. Trying to avoid panic, I decided to take a walk and return a few library books and mail the phone bill. The phone bill itself was also an issue, as the folks at AT&T had said they hadn't received my previous payment and so had tacked on a late charge. The late charge itself was more than 15% of the original bill. Clearly, AT&T is getting more and more greedy. But anyway, I called that company, and after some confusion the woman said they had in fact received my earlier payment, and that I didn't have to pay the late charge.  The theme here, of course, is that things that are supposedly taken care of often turn out not to be. And that leads to anxiety. I mean, when I do something, I want it done. I don't ever want to have to deal with it again.  I'm guessing I'll be hearing from AT&T again about that late charge. And who knows what the deal is regarding these medical bills? While I was walking home, trying not to think of these things, a man rode by me on a bicycle. As he passed me, I heard him breathing heavily, and then heard him say, "Shit." I wanted to thank him, I wanted to embrace him right then, because for that moment I felt totally connected to another person. We're all dealing with various shit, and that, if nothing else, connects us.