Last Days in the Bathrooms and Last Blog from Hemet

Once again I was wide awake around 2:00 am thinking. I was replaying the conversation I had with my new boss earlier in the day. I was coming up with ideas and these are very positive awakenings. I am excited, nervous, and anxious but all in good ways. Life starts for me in less than 48 hours and this journey is coming to a close. There wasn’t any sleeping in this morning as I got up at the regular time while waking up my roommate. The last few workouts remain and I don’t want to miss any. Today was another good one and I have a whole new workout regime when I return to a conventional gym very shortly. These early mornings have been special and just like our evenings - laughter fills the air. We could be the two happiest inmates in camp and that goes for my roommate, also, who still has six months remaining to serve on his sentence.

Today was the last day cleaning the bathrooms. Tomorrow I go on “S” time which means I am officially unassigned. My replacement has it all down so I did my part and let him do his thing. Wow, I spent almost six months cleaning bathrooms for 120 inmates – there’s something to put on my resume! Seriously, it was time well spent. I had plenty of “me” time and now it is time for facing the real world. I do have peace of mind and we carry this forward. The last toilet was scrubbed and the floor squeegeed. My time to move on is apparent. I spent the lunch hour talking with my roommate on the picnic table facing the hill. We reminisced a little and of course laughed. After the lunch hour, I hiked the hill for 90 minutes and had a wonderful hike. I was one with nature and got a great cardiovascular workout. The sunshine was brilliant and the temperature in the 60’s – it was a wonderful hike and a great way to end the day.

I would be remiss if I didn’t thank three very special people who have kept this blog going over the past 19 months. They have endured thousands of pages of my “chicken scratch” and just for that they should be commended. These three people are: my wife – who diligently transcribed my drivel for a few months before succumbing to single parent chores - my mother – who has been a stalwart since the very beginning and is fluent in “chicken scratch” - my dear friend who I met through GA took over for my wife and has been incredible. Thank you so much for all your hard work. I love you all so much! The next posting will be by yours truly and I wonder if I remember how to type??

Thanks again for everything and I look forward to a bright beautiful new beginning.