Better to proceed. Bravely.

I don’t want to be. What others want or expect me to be. That’s a stupid way to live. Because then I let others shape me.  Better to take charge of my life. To be a romantic idealist, a spiritual free-thinker, a political liberal, a lover, a dreamer, a writer.  To take my own path. To happiness and fulfillment. I find it difficult. Rejoicing for others. They have to find their own course. Some choose to sacrifice their lives. Solely for others. Maybe for their country. Or for some other gawd-forsaken principle. They might choose to die. For a cause. I prefer living. For a cause.  No martyr, am I.  Dying. Is often the too easy way. Like my father. He chose suicide. Rather than face the rigors of life. A coward. I’d rather overcome the obstacles. The paranoia. The depression.  Better to proceed. Bravely. Confidently. --Jim Broede