To connect.

Once upon a time, I didn't think I ever wanted to retire. I would keep going on writing for newspapers until I dropped dead. And they'd just cart me away from my writing desk. To get rid of the stench of my decaying body. But hey, in the 1990s, I guess I suddenly realized that 'newspapering' had changed. We got into the sound bite business, too. We capsulized everything. We took reader surveys. And asked them what they wanted. And they wanted pabulum. So that's what we gave them. Because we thought that would sell newspapers. Well, it turns out they don't want to read any more. It's too difficult. A strain on the brain. They'd rather sit in front of the TV. And be told what to think. Or not to think at all. Because reading takes too much effort. It's easier sitting in front of the TV. Because it's easier to fall asleep there. If you want to read a newspaper, the written word, you have to stay awake. Funny, isn't it? I guess I'm a little bit cynical. But I'm learning. I still find people that are still alive. That buoys my spirits. And that pulls me through. Makes me a believer again. In the goodness of life. Anyway, I really haven't retired. I'm more active mentally and physically than ever. Because I'm learning to savor the moment. And the day. To get what I can out of life. Often, just by turning inward. Being reflective. That can be mistaken for melancholy. But it really isn't. Because it makes me happy. Getting to know myself. Getting to know a handful of others. All I need in life, I suppose, is an occasional breakthrough. One might call it a moment of intimacy. Maybe that's our salvation. The ability to find intimacy. To find another. To connect. --Jim Broede