Exception to the Lockdown

(Reader's Digest Condensed Version)

All day yesterday, we were confined to our dorm due to the yard closure in the morning. I used this time to thoroughly clean my whites and to get a very good shave. Of course, I wrote but made a conscious effort to only write for an hour since I need some diversification and don’t want to get burned out. I ventured into the TV area to watch the football game between the Chargers and Broncos. My dorm mates asked who my favorite team was. For a number of years it was any team which beat the spread and the only one I truly followed was the NY Mets. While I was growing up, I loved the Miami Dolphins mostly because they were a great team when I was a kid.

In so many ways gambling has ruined sports for me because I took it way too seriously and never enjoyed it like a sports fan would. I treated the teams like trading stocks on a daily basis and only cared when they beat the point spread for that particular game. The next game I could be rooting against that team, so I was fickle. Now when I was watching the game as a sports fan it was very good. I must continue to stay active in GA or I am doomed to repeat the mistakes of my past. I certainly don’t want to return to a place like this and the only way for me to ensure this does not happen is to stay in recovery.

After I watched the game, I started ALONG CAME A SPIDER by – you guessed it – James Patterson. Once again the novel moves very quickly but I am noticing subtle differences in his writing style with some of his more recent works. One example is his use of profanity which he uses in his earlier novels and is almost non-existent in his recent novels. Also, in the earlier novels he seems to be more descriptive and has added at least 100 pages to his novels. In his recent novels he gets to the point much quicker. Nevertheless his novels have helped me pass the time more effectively.

I need to update my hip/left glute injury. All day yesterday I could feel a small ache traveling back and forth between my hip and glute. This ache was starting to diminish throughout the day and I was thinking I should be fine for the PFT class tomorrow. I even went outside for the purpose of signing up for a phone call. I went outside but kept my walking minimal to rest my injury. After signing up I had a conversation with the student I have been helping in the PFT class. This conversation was about his addiction to drugs. Apparently, he comes from a very affluent family and his financial future is predicated on staying clean for the next five years. As the conversation went on, I lost some type of connection to my fellow inmate because he stated over and over again that when he was on drugs it was great. Unfortunately, during our conversation, I never heard the word Program mentioned once. I do hope for his sake he finds something which he can truly recover not just abstain. There were no magic words from me to help him understand what awaits him in recovery. Hopefully, he does experience it and whether he knows it or not this conversation helped me tremendously. Thankfully, I have found recovery and intend to work it to the best of my ability one day a t a time for a lifetime.