10 nights and a wake up. Details will be given to me later this week, but my departure from camp life is coming to an end. It seems like I just got here and at the same time it seems like I have been here forever. Many have come and gone and everyone gets a turn. Now its my turn. I take with me knowledge gained and a better understanding of the human condition. There are many here that take personal responsibility to learn and grow. They make the most of the resources available and many times out of necessity create their own. I have come to understand there is good in everyone and in spite of the circumstances, most people will try to make their life and those around them a little bit better.
Stereotypes of how and why people make the choices they did were destroyed. Behavior, in its various forms, has everything to do with education and economic circumstances and nothing else. I have come to know people that save for coming here, our paths would never have crossed. Ultra high end, Ultra low end and everything in between on the social and economic scale. We all love our family’s and we all bleed red. Although everyone has their people and cliques, there is a general feeling of comradery among campers, a kind of “we are all in this together spirit” that goes unspoken. People look after each other and it is not uncommon when someone new arrives they are given a care package and told “if you need anything let me know.” Shortly after I arrived I was gifted a pair of sneakers that were practically new and would have cost me $79 from the commissary plus waiting a month plus for them to be ordered. At the time I could not understand why someone would do that for a total stranger but now I get it. They were once the new arrival and understood what that was like. Without sneakers, I would be wearing the issued black work boots 24/7 and any form of exercise would not be possible. The person who gave me the sneakers understood this before I did. It was an act of kindness I will never forget. I’m wearing those very sneakers as I write this. Something else I was reminded of is until you have walked down the same path, don’t judge others. There are people here from all walks of life and everyone has their own unique story. It is would be very easy to categorize or discount why a person ended up in their particular situation or the life circumstance they find themselves regardless if it is in or out of the prison system. Everyone’s circumstances are as unique as their DNA.
I once knew of a kid who was about 11 years old and he let his hair grow extremely long. His parents seemed a little off (in my biased opinion at the time, I didn’t really know them) and I could not make heads or tails why they let their kid grow his hair in that manner. He was teased by the other children when his hair got to almost waist length and that did not seem to bother him at least externally. He seemed a misfit and you could not help taking a second look if you saw him. One day I was waiting to pick up my son and I found myself standing next to him so I asked “Why do you have such long hair. Don’t you know the other kids would stop making fun of you if you just cut it, even to shoulder length?” What he said to me stuck like a dagger to the heart. “I’m growing my hair to make wigs for cancer patients”. Never assume you know what motivates a person. Being yourself does not require an explanation.
