Here at Aliceville FCI, we have the most lovely migratory birds that dance through a few times a year, make nests under the awning which wraps around the stretch of a place that reminds me of a strip mall. When I first began working compound, so many years ago, the policy was to knock the nests down and clean up the red Alabama dirt, often with baby birds or eggs inside.
Outraged by this policy, three of us began writing the EPA in hopes of saving the birds and providing them a safe nesting stop.
One day, we were told that we no longer had to knock them down, but that we now needed a poop crew. So for years now, since 2018 maybe, we have taken large trash buggies filled with water and with a scrub brush, the concrete gets cleaned of the poo.
A few years ago, I began to only work the gardens but I have still trained the grade ones who have come along as to the captain’s expectations.
So imagine, there is a long stretch of sidewalk where staff members in their nice clean shoes have to walk along first thing in the morning. Perhaps I am extra in every way imaginable, but I think that it’s a poor reflection of the crew to not have the sidewalk clean when everyone comes in to work. The most serious situation being having it cleaned when the captain and the other executive staff walk down that sidewalk to the staff dining room for lunch.
Naturally, the garden beds that line the walkways are weed free, watered and gorgeous at all times unless there is a catastrophic events.
This is the sort of trivial seeming stuff I have obsessed about for years now. In this space of perfection, I have found
a deep mindfulness, hard days work and learned to work well with others. If I am being honest, I was once a bit tyrannical
in the free world. I have been called Leona Helmsley.
Now, I am someone who never raises my voice and I don’t lose my cool. This came mostly from years of watching Captain Mosby multitask and when dealing with difficult situations, always remaining calm.
When we live in a world where we see a divide between officers and inmates, we miss out on life changing lessons.
I am such a better person having worked for the Captain for so many years.
In line with Santos, I never ask anyone to do anything I am not willing to do myself. The other day, I went out and no one was scrubbing the sidewalk, removing the bird crap from the walk way, so I did it myself.
Sometimes life if simply about knowing what needs to be done and seeing it through.
I know that I will be an amazing partner, employee or employer in the next phase of my life.
I had a really interesting conversation with my bunkie today. She is also a woman whom I have been mentoring and who is taking my place in the garden when I leave. Actually, she is pulling a ton of weight out there now as I am on the rec yard more than usual- getting myself ready to transition out of here and into the free world. She listens to what I say and really think she has the potential to be a powerful member of polite society one day. A boss of something beautiful.
She is one of those smart women who no one ever took the time to teach anything of value- like the importance of our circadian rhythm, not to eat chips and cookies before bed and how to take a deep breath in any situation where you feel your pulse quicken.
But what I respect about her is that she wants to learn, she wants to realize her full potential and she has big dreams.
I was so proud of her today, when it was sprinkling and the other girls were headed in, she told them that she wasn’t going in. She was going to get the bird crap off the sidewalk no matter what. They were fussing about it and finally she got really down to the nitty gritty with them and told them that she was battling addiction, being out there working in the garden or helping them scrub the sidewalks was how she was maintaining sobriety- period.
