I can remember the first time we got a phone, about 1958 or so. It had a little place where a piece of paper was inserted under the plastic. When the phone man installed the phone, he put the paper with the number on it under the plastic and none of us in the family had any problems remembering the number.

Of course, already we have an adage, that is to say an old saying, relating to it. We never remember our own number because we never call ourselves. Well, when I was younger, I didn’t have a problem remembering things. Now that I have trouble remembering my name, these cell phone companies expect me to remember my number, like that’s going to happen.

There is no convenient slot or piece of plastic to put a number under. In addition, most cell phones are black, making it difficult to write something on it. So, every time someone asks me my number, I suggest I call them and they use the caller ID.

No. That’s dumb. Sometimes it’s next to impossible. I suppose I could carry a card around with the number on it but I’d only lose it. Or worse, I’d still have it but I might spend fifteen minutes looking for it. Now there’s a thought for folks standing in a long, long line.

I do have something of a solution. My phone has a note pad. Mostly, I don’t use it. However, it does now have my number. Now, the trick is getting to that note pad while I’m in that long, long line. Do you have any idea how impatient people can be? And, of course, they angrier they get, the more difficult it is for me to find it.

Now, will those phone companies ever put a place for a number on a cell phone for me? Will they ever put something in the phone OS, that would make it easy for me to look it up? I don’t think so, leastwise until enough of us old folks start complaining. We need to tell them, no one remembers their own number. We need just a little help. Please. It’s not as if we are asking for a complete redesign of the phone. Just a small simple modification.

I suspect the first company that makes the modification will benefit greatly.