Imagining what might be.

I psychoanalyze people I know. Especially those I've known for a long time. Or the ones I grew up with. Such as my brother, my sister, my mother. I also psychoanlyze myself. Granted, I'm an amateur at it. And I may well be off the mark. But I do it anyway. It's fun. And I think it helps me understand myself. And others. I can be ruthlessly honest. About myself. And others. Maybe that makes some people nervous. Because I am ruthless. But in an honest way. That makes a difference. At least to me. If I were writing a novel, I'd glean my characters in large part from people I know. I'd make them different from what they are. I would explore the possibilities of what they could become. I'd take their potentials in different directions. Maybe in good ways. Maybe in bad ways. I'd concoct stories and fit 'em in. And I'd have fun with it. I wouldn't hesitate using my sister in a story. She's had a mostly unhappy life. And I'd put her in different places, in different circumstances. I'd create different scenarios of what might have been. If only a single event had been altered. Life can be drastically altered by random chance. Such as making a left turn instead of a right turn. I know, for instance, that my life would have been much different if I had been born into a black skin instead of a white skin. Everything else could have been the same. Same genes. Same white parents. Same white brother. Same white sister. Same town. My life would have changed dramatically. Simply because of the color of my skin. My experiences in life would have been so totally different. I would be quite a different being from what I am now. I find that interesting. Imagining what might be. --Jim Broede