...the wonders of love.

I keep wondering why politicians have to keep insulting each other. Why they can't be nice. And polite. And just disagree on issues. Rather than take potshots at each other. All the nastiness. I tune in the political conventions and the daily exchange of barbs between politicians, and it leaves me saddened, I guess. Maybe I'm caught up in it, too. I tend to counter nastiness with nastiness. Maybe that doesn't speak well for me. In a sense, nastiness breeds nastiness. I figure that if a politician is nasty, I have a right to treat him nasty, too. I'm listening to what politicians have to say to each other in the upcoming election. And often, all I hear are insults and disparaging remarks. Enough for me to turn off the TV or the radio or put down the newspaper. I know who I'm gonna vote for president. Nothing will change my mind. So maybe I should just ignore all the campaign rhetoric. All the speeches. All the news reports. And just bide my time thinking positive thoughts. Thinking about the wonders of love. --Jim Broede

I know. From experience.

One can hardly get through life without facing a catastrophe or two. That's how it goes. But the good life is still possible. If one learns to adjust. To cope. Because despite adversity, life is still full of joys. So many good things. Sure, we may lose a father to suicide. Or a wife to Alzheimer's. All sorts of tragedies happen. And nobody lives forever. That's the nature of life. Yet, some people let the bad events pull them down. And they stay down. I think that's the saddest part of life. People who refuse to be happy. People who spend virtually all of their time lamenting. Instead of bouncing back. I see it so often. I try to console and comfort some of 'em. But I can't change them. They have to change themselves. But it can be done. I know. From experience. --Jim Broede

Face it, brothers, we've lost.

My next door neighbor has a sign in his yard. "Let our soldiers win." I think I'll ask him, how do we decide if we have won? Personally, such a task is virtually impossible. Even if we declare victory, we will have lost. So very much. Think of the lives being lost. Not only Americans and our allies. But Iraqi lives, too. What a shame. And think of the money being dumped down the proverbial rat hole. Estimates are starting to range into the trillions of dollars. The money could easily have been spent on improving life in America and the rest of the world. And think of the damage to the American soul. For waging a senseless war, a so-called preemptive war. A pity. Shame on the American nation. We Americans are delusional. Some of us think we won the Vietnam War. And now some of us even think we can win the Iraqi War. Face it, brothers, we've lost. --Jim Broede

...to enjoy virtually every day.

Here it is Sept. 3. And already I'm feeling the touch of autumn in Minnesota. Today's high is in the 60s. And it'll be 45 to 50 tonight. Yes, pleasant weather. People in warmer climates may think of it as cool. Time to pull out the sweaters and jackets. And maybe at nighttime, I'll do just that. But hey, I'm a change-of-seasons guy. I like it when summer moves into autumn. And autumn into winter. And winter into spring. And spring into summer. Variety. Change is wonderful. I don't even mind the snow and cold in winter. Because it doesn't last forever. And this winter I'm thinking about going to Corsica and Sardinia. And quite possibly, in March, to spring training again with the Chicago Cubs in Arizona. I enjoy life. No matter where. In the Italian and Swiss Alps. In the deserts of the American Southwest. Sure has been nice to have been born on planet Earth. Oh, yes, I know there's turmoil and wars and people ill and starving to death. That's part of life, too, I guess. But I'll take the pluses and minuses and find ways to enjoy virtually every day. --Jim Broede

And let nature take its course.

Just imagine. If Barack Obama had picked the equivalent of an inexperienced Sarah Palin as his running mate. The Republicans would have made political hay out of it. The Republicans would have been merciless in chastising Obama for such a choice. Trying to make him look like a fool. They would have said the Democrats have an inexperienced team. At the top. And at the bottom of the ticket. Well, thankfully, Obama isn't going to be critical of John McCain's choice. He'll just let it be. And let nature take its course. --Jim Broede

Making pleasures last.

When I came home from Italy this summer, I brought gifts. Including Italian cat food for my cats Loverboy and Chenuska. But Loverboy wouldn't eat the stuff. Guess he wants only American cat food. Nothing exotic. Nothing different. That surprised me a little bit. But Chenuska -- well, she gobbled everything. She likes food, period. And eats much faster than Loverboy. Guess she wants to make sure she gets her share of the food. But she has nothing to worry about. Because Loverboy nibbles. Savors his food, I think. By making it last. Yes, he really is a loverboy. Enjoys living in slow motion. Making the pleasures of life last for a long, long time. --Jim Broede

Addicted to exercise.

I used to walk 10 miles a day. At a leisurely pace. Generally, a 17-minute mile. But for the past two weeks, I've changed my routine. To 6 miles. But I speed it up a bit. A combination of brisk walking and slow jogging. Typically a mile in 13 to 14 minutes. The six miles at a faster pace seems to have more aerobic benefits than the slower 10 miles. I also used to eat my supper quite late. Like between 10 p.m. and midnight. Not a good idea. Eating so close to bedtime. Now I'm more likely to sit down at the dinner table between 6 and 8 p.m. It's getting results. I'm losing about 2 pounds a week. Or about 4 pounds since I started the new regimen. I'm not heavy. Just 174 pounds. And I'm almost 6 feet tall. I'd like to level off at 168. I've been addicted to exercise for a long, long time. I started working out on a daily basis around 1970. --Jim Broede