First entry
My day starts before I open my eyes, giving Thanks to the Lord for the beautiful day I am about to enjoy. Eyes opened for the beginning of the day I do 300 crunches in my bunk before my feet hit the floor. I consume 35 oz.. of water before standing and doing a quick routine of stretches. I lace my exercise shoes on, hit the restroom, then I’m off to do 15 minutes of exercise. Nothing too intense, but enough to get the blood pumping in this 61-year-old body. I make a coffee, come back to my bunk, give Thanks to the Lord again for all that I have in my life, and do some type of writing, as I’m now, before heading off to work. I work in the carpentry/maintenance shop and operate heavy equipment when the snow falls.
Other than carpentry work, which I have done the majority of my working years, I never did any of this. Prison has given me the opportunity to grow and change in ways I never would of imagined me doing. Prison didn’t force me to do these new things, I had to choose to do these things. Prison gave me the opportunity to look at myself and discover who I was as a person. To be able to answer the question “who am I ?”
For the first time in my life, I had the opportunity to breathe fresh air. Fresh air free from the smog that goes with addictions. I was able to think, to see, and feel more within myself than I had in the last 40 years. I didn’t just like what I saw and felt within myself, but I loved it. Unfortunately, my addictions were not far away.