Today was my 23rd Columbus Day as a prisoner. I used to look forward to Columbus Day because it marked the first holiday of the season, and in federal prison, the holidays usually come with opportunities for extra visiting. At Taft Camp, Carole and I choose not to visit on holidays because the rules in this prison penalize family members by requiring them to sacrifice a possible weekday visit if they choose to visit on a holiday.
I’ve lived with rules that dictate how much time I can spend with my wife for so long that it’s difficult for me to visualize any other kind of life. The only time Carole and I have spent together as a married couple has been in prison visiting rooms. This being my 23rd holiday season in prison, I know that at most I have three more holiday seasons before release and it’s possible that I’ll be home sooner.
I don’t think people in society do much to celebrate Columbus Day–no school, banks are closed, and the US Postal Service doesn’t deliver mail For me, the only significance of any holiday, including Thanksgiving and Christmas, has been that the prison operates on a holiday schedule. This year, both Christmas and New Year’s Day fall on Fridays, and those holiday visits will cost extra points so Carole and I will not share the day together. I need to prepare myself for fewer visits with her this holiday season.
I wonder how Carole and I will celebrate holidays once I’m released from prison. I wonder so much about what life will be like when I conclude my time in prison. Confinement has become all I can identify with, but in fewer than 1,000 days, Carole will reintroduce me to living in society again. I’m grateful that I’ll be going home to her.
This morning I edited chapter three and four a final time and sent them to Carole. I ran 10 miles and I followed the run with 300 pushups. That brings my tally to 2,702 miles over the past 303 days.
Monday, 12 October 2009
PDF 
