A better everything.

Amazing. How life takes on a nice aura when most everything is going relatively smooth. In one’s personal relationships. Then work seems like play. That’s been the story of my life. Things have gone smooth. Especially when I’ve been in love. There was a little rough stretch. When dear, sweet Jeanne was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 1993. That temporarily scared the hell out of me. Took me a few years to adjust. To get back on track again. To realize that I still loved Jeanne. More than ever. And that Jeanne meant more to me than anything. Even more than my job. More than my career as a writer for newspapers. That’s why I retired early. At age 62. Once upon a time, I thought I’d stay employed until the day I died. They’d have to carry me out on the last day of my life. Because life was going smooth. Things were falling into place. Neatly. Then Alzheimer’s entered the picture. Jeanne fading. Dying gradually. Jeanne had to adjust. And I had to adjust. We had to help each other adjust. I had to get my priorities straight. I had to put my emphasis on love. On a loving relationship. It was at that point that I had to become a romantic idealist. A genuine lover. And maybe that has made me a better human being. Even a better writer. A better everything. –Jim Broede