Give me milk, and more milk.

I’m a milk drinker. Not whole milk. But skim milk. And flavored low fat milk. Chocolate. Vanilla. Banana. Milk is my favorite beverage. At least a quart or two. Every day. I hardy ever drink coffee. Except when I’m with my Italian amore. We share coffee. Together. Espresso. Cappuccino. That’s what I like most about coffee. The sharing. I’m not a fan of warm or hot drinks. Instead, give me a very cold glass of milk. Or a cold non-alcoholic German beer. The taste is superb. With bratwurst and sauerkraut.  Weinersnitzel, too. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with a cold glass of water. To quench one’s thirst. Especially on a hot and sweaty day. --Jim Broede

Considering all possibilities.

I may go weeks. Maybe even months. Without dreaming. Then suddenly, I get a rash of dreams. Almost every night. That’s happening now. Annoying dreams. I don’t like that. Because I covet sweet and relaxing dreams. I want to smile and laugh. In my sleep. And when I’m awake, too. I suspect. There’s something on my subconscious. That’s bothering me. Therefore, I’m searching. For the answer.  It’s important. For me to know other people. But more important to know thyself. I want to know the real me. First and foremost. And then how I relate to others. Of course, it could be. That I have everything backwards. It’s best. To consider all possibilities. --Jim Broede

More amused than fascinated.

I’m fascinated. By what makes people tick. To understand their motivations. I’ve been accused of being too nosey. Too prying. But that’s one of my attributes.  An inquiring mind. Maybe that’s why I became a writer. For newspapers. My aim was to get people to talk. To open up. To tell me secrets. To give me the full story. To hide nothing. I’d make a good investigator. That’s part of the news business. Of course, it’s become more of an entertainment business. Which I find hard to accept. But entertainment, not news, is the big thing these days. Maybe I’m more amused than fascinated by it all.  --Jim Broede

Free to be a fool.

To become free. Can also mean to become a fool. One is allowed to make grievous and stupid mistakes.  But hey, I have no qualms about accepting the consequences. Of unbridled freedom. Take freedom of speech, for instance. The very thing being practiced by the politicians seeking to become the next president of the United States. They have something in common. They are free fools. Every last one of ‘em. --Jim Broede

Give me shrewd saints.

I suspect. It’s far too easy to become a saint. Many of them are martyrs. Who died for a cause. Seems to me, the wiser people found ways to serve the cause. Without dying. So that they were still around to enjoy the fruits of their labor. I’d nominate them for a special category of shrewd sainthood. --Jim Broede

A good knight in shining armor.

To stay in a good mood, I try to steer clear of people in bad moods. Though I make exceptions for several friends. Afflicted with depression. They present a challenge. I try to help them. Without being dragged down into their abysmal depressive pit. I put on a suit of armor. To deflect the barrage of bad vibes. Sometimes, they take me as a good knight in shining armor.  Who has come to their rescue. Yes, it’s my favorite role. Puts me in a really, really good mood. Every time. --Jim Broede

On trying to be me.

I sleep. When I feel like sleeping. I wake. When I feel like waking.  I love. When I feel like loving. I walk. When I feel like walking. I cavort. When I feel like cavorting. I think, when I feel like thinking. I write. When I feel like writing. And I try to be me. All of the time. --Jim Broede