Prison Journal: Day 8,025
July 30, 2009
This morning I resumed my work on chapter six at 1:24 am. Sometimes the urge to write more wakes me, and I sit up in my rack. Why sleep more? I’m rested and motivated, so I hop down, gather my dictionary, pens, and envelopes stuffed with my previous writing, and walk to the room where I work.
When I opened the door this morning, another prisoner was sitting at the table reading. Whereas I was just beginning my day, he had not yet gone to sleep. Many prisoners spend their days sleeping, and watch television or play table games at night. The early mornings are my most productive, so I was glad when the other prisoner surrendered the table and room for me to work.
At 4:00 am, I watched as Walt, a friend of mine, carried his boxes up toward the control center and walked out the doors. After more than 12 years of prison, he was released to a halfway house. When he walked out, I was reminded of my other friend, Justin, who was released from Taft Prison Camp last May. It must be an extraordinary feeling to leave prison. I thought about the possibility for awhile, though the concept still seems surreal to me. I’ve got a few more years to serve, another 1,000 or so days. That reality put me back to work on my writing.
By the end of the day I advanced chapter six through page 258. Tomorrow morning, I will edit rather than write, but I’m still on track to finish this chapter next week.
I ran 10 miles this morning. My tally is now 2,039 miles over the past 230 consecutive days.
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