Another Beautiful Saturday

I utilized the lunch hour yesterday to call the reporter who is doing the story on Indian casinos in California and pathological gambling. I made sure I had 30 minutes to devote to the phone call, and we used it all up. Due to the time constraints, I told the reporter my story in about three minutes. I guess it has come to this for me as I can recite my story in many versions, and yesterday was the “Cliff Notes” version. Really, my story can be summed up quite succinctly; I ignored my compulsive gambling addiction and ended up in prison. The epilogue is I have found recovery and a wonderful life. We talked about many other aspects of the Indian casinos in California and pathological gambling. The telephone system is not conducive to these discussions, but for the next month and one-half, this is what I must deal with. I still don’t know when this story will be published or whether or not the reporter will come here for a visit or wait until my release date in February. It was great to discuss both sides of the gambling equation, and I still need to follow up on Monday.
I do believe the key is awareness, and there is no stopping the gambling juggernaut, especially with the tribal casinos in California. No matter what, people are going to gamble, and of those people, a certain percentage will become problem gamblers. Gambling is addicting, and there will be those who will lose everything. Hopefully, the message can be sent that help is available, and as casinos grow in California, so will the money for treatment and awareness. Billions of dollars are being made by these tribes, and only a tiny fraction is currently spent on problem gambling awareness and treatment. As more people gamble, there will inevitably more problem gamblers, so the casinos/tribes need to do the right thing. The problem won’t go away if it is ignored. In fact, it will only get worse. I believe the casino industry will follow the alcohol industry with the awareness campaigns. I have heard the problem gambler public service announcements on the radio, which is a step in the right direction. My intention is to get involved with problem gambling awareness when I am released, and I believe this is a good start in the interview with the reporter.
The rest of the afternoon yesterday was the usual as I wrote the afternoon away. I wrote two letters which was unusual for a Friday because I usually leave these for the weekend; however, with the NFL playoffs on television today and tomorrow, I wanted to make some time to watch a few of the games. I am interested in the New England Patriots/Jacksonville Jaguars’ game for the simple fact that if the Patriots win and advance to the Super Bowl, they will make history as the first team to win 19 games and lose none. I have always admired this team ever since Tom Brady and Bill Bellichek took over some seven years ago. The other game I am interested in is my son’s New York Giants against the Dallas Cowboys tomorrow. It should be an interesting game and a good way to pass the time this weekend.
The evening came last night which was filled with talking and reading. Of course, sleep came early, and it was once again time to get out of bed to work out. Today would be a big exercise day. There are days when running can be laborious, but today was NOT one of those days. I immediately got into a good rhythm and maintained this all through the run. The day was beautiful, and it was another beautiful Saturday in southern California. The temperature will probably reach 70 degrees later today, and while I was running, I could feel warm breezes. It was a very good run, and I am amazed as to how fast the morning disappeared. Sure I exercised for over four hours this morning, but I enjoyed every minute.
I think my running is now expected here at camp since I didn’t receive any strange looks as I ran around the track 90 times. I did get some encouraging calls and mostly smiles from the guys who understand my “addiction” to running. It would have been great to run around the beautiful canyons and vistas around here, but I am sort of encouraged (more like obligated/mandated) to stay on the makeshift track. My goal is to run around the track 100 times, which I will do in two weeks. After that run, I will have only one month remaining, and the runs will be so much shorter. I still can’t properly gauge whether or not I am in marathon shape because the distance calculations are a bit suspect. I was getting a little tired as I ran the 90th lap, but I know I can get 10 more. It really doesn’t matter if I am in marathon shape or not because all I care about is maintaining my fitness level. Quite frankly, I don’t need to run another marathon to prove anything to myself. In the past, I looked at these marathons I ran as goals, and now I just want to enjoy every stride. I am in good shape, and the best possible case scenario is having my family with me when I run a marathon or any other type of race. I am not an elite athlete. I am a 42-year-old, soon-to-be ex-felon who just wants to maintain peace of mind. Thankfully, running enhances my peace of mind, and this morning was fantastic.