One Month From Today!

Here I am one month from today – the day of my RELEASE ~

When I started this journey I was looking at serving 24 months on the 4 year sentence. I started counting down those months and when I arrived here at fire camp I received a reduction in my term. Now I can say that I have one month remaining on my “lease.” When this is all said and done, I will have spent 19 ½ months on my sentence. I did realize these months would pass thanks to being in recovery and living one day at a time. What I didn’t realize was how fast these months would go by. I have days remaining instead of months and I will continue living one day at a time. Those days will reach February 27th soon enough.

Last night was a scrabble night and the evening went quickly as we played scrabble and drank hot chocolate. Then it was time to go to sleep. “I waved” from breakfast because my dear friends would be here for the GA meeting/visit. Like clockwork they arrived as they normally do. I was very happy to see them as they made the drive in the rain. Since it was raining we were in the dining hall for the meeting for the first time. I would guess this was the 15th GA meeting/visit and 14 of those meetings were held outside in the regular visiting area. The venue may have changed but the meeting was as always wonderful. There were four of us (including me) today and the number of people does not matter - what matters most is the friendship I have developed with these incredible people. We spent two hours experiencing the embodiment of the GA program. GA is all about experiencing, sharing, and hoping. This is exactly what we did and I do love the Program as well as the people within the Program. We talked, laughed, listened, ate and enjoyed every moment.

My dear friends brought my parole clothes. Since I am at the one month mark before my release date, I am able to receive the clothes that I will parole in on February 27th. My friends brought a pair of jeans and one of the nicer casual shirts I own along with my wallet. I tried the jeans on to ensure they fit and yes, they fit very well. It appears if anything I may have put on a few pounds as opposed to losing a few pounds. The jeans fit but they seemed more snug in the thigh area. The more I remember about these jeans – the more I believe they have always fit like this. If I had to guess I am probably the same as I was 18 ½ months ago before I started this journey. This really comes as no surprise to me because I have been the same weight for at least 17 years. It will be interesting to see when I finally step on a scale how much I actually weigh. Hopefully, I won’t get hung up on the weight issue and if I gained a few pounds so be it. The positive side is I have not lost my weight which I know was a concern to a few people. The process of receiving my parole clothes does make the prospect of my release that much more real. In the upcoming weeks, I will sign the official parole paperwork which will make it a little more real. I spoke with my mother yesterday who was able to find out my parole officer’s name and which office. She is located in the office I thought it would be. This is all happening and on this exact moment one month from today, I will be a free person!