Yesterday was the first and last Birthday I will spend at this place. A good friend of mine who is a gourmet chef made a delicious meal of Salmon meatballs over angel hair pasta with red sauce, sausage and pepperoni calzones and chocolate mousse cake for dessert. I was able to enjoy my birthday with close friendships forged while here and this will be one of the best memories of a time in my life I’ll never forget. The saying “where there is a will, there is a way” has never proved truer that being at a Federal camp. By example, there are no stoves, ovens or microwaves available but the human mind will always find a way. Flat breads and pizza crusts are cooked using a clothes iron. Food is heated by submerging it in 190 degree water placed in waterproof bags or bowls. The “190” is available 24/7 on tap and so there is no need to wait for it to get up to temperature. Angel hair pasta cooks in about 5 minutes when placed directly in the 190. Pizza crusts are seared with a hot iron, toppings added and then the cheese is melted by placing a bag filled with 190 on top of it. Simple genius.
I never lost sight of the person I am and never stopped learning or preparing for my return. The course “Preparing for Success after Prison” from Prison Professors that I completed served as a reminder and reinforcement of the person I am and the steps needed to be a “purple cow”. The analogy is if you drive down the street and see a herd of cows, they all look alike. What if you saw a purple one in the herd? It may cause you to stop and ponder and it would without question stand out from the rest of the herd. I have had the purple cow mindset since arrival and refused to let this system define me or portray me to be anything I’m not. The opportunities I have created or more accurately the opportunities I have attracted while here are so numerous I sometimes get a headache or lose sleep thinking about them. In many ways this experience was necessary to bring out the best version of myself. Critical thinking has been key. Sometimes that critical thinking has caused me to be plain critical of the things I see and that I share with you. Being a catalyst for change has become a burning desire. Not just in my personal life, but to have an impact that changes the way we think about the justice system. Today, we are on the precipice of revolutionary changes in Government. There has never been a better time to be alive than right now, at this moment in history. Blocking out all the “noise” that surrounds me and being laser
focused on what will be has been my kryptonite. Plans are in motion, books are being read, I’ve learned and grown beyond my wildest imagination. Success is defined not only by achieving goals in my personal life, but helping those in and out of my orbit that will be able to look back and say “There is man who comprehended the big picture, who loved life and understood what he accomplished was much bigger and greater than himself.” Where there is will, there is a way.
