For as long as I can remember, I have been an early bird.
As a Muslim, I do my first prayer before sunrise. As the seasons change, the time of sunrise changes as well. But for as long as I can remember, I get up at 4:30 AM. When I was at home, it was the same thing and my circadian rhythm has adjusted so beautifully to every new situation or location.
I love the serenity of the wee hours, it is dark, quiet and in prison, it is truly the only hour of the day that you will experience some quiet time. For me, it is the time to get up, do some exercise, make my ablution and get ready for prayers. At home, I would make breakfast for my husband and son and get our lunch tiffins ready. Here, I meditate and work out after my prayers and try to catch up on the world news via NPR radio. The reception in our building is very bad, so I have to sit or stand in a certain pose, squeeze my earbud in the window, to get the signal. I laugh about these things. It just shows that we have been created in such a way that we adapt to so many adverse situations.
Adversity is what I see around me. Lack of programming causes many people to act up out of boredom. Whenever we have to shop at Commissary, rest assured there will be drama about some bills not being paid either for groceries or contraband.
The more reason to find a routine, even if it is small and nothing elaborate, but start making a time plan for the day, week, month and get active. Pursue the avenue of inner growth!
Our Peer Success Team has been very active, despite the numerous lockdowns. Whether we have an event or not, we try to have our meetings focusing on Re-entry, improving skills that we will need upon going back to society. In the ice room at our facility, we have a whole Re-Entry Wall, where we post everything we want to share with the community around us. This month the themes are ‘Breast Cancer Awareness’ and ‘Domestic Violence’. I also introduced these central themes in our GED classes, where we had handouts on Breast Cancer and we decorated the classroom with pink ribbons.
Next week, we will have a Breast Cancer walk on the compound, increasing awareness and prevention as well as solidarity with the survivors and a tribute to those who have lost the battle.
Have a wonderful day, keep your spirit high and the rest will follow naturally.
Sherida Nabi