Prison Journal: Day 8,103
October 16, 2009
It’s 3:57 on Friday morning as I write this journal entry, perhaps too early to record my activities for the day. I’ve been working at this desk since 1:23 this morning. First I edited chapter eight of the manuscript and I really enjoyed that work. Chapter eight takes a turn in the book. It’s about halfway through the story and describes how my values began to change.
After finishing the edit, I felt tightness in my stomach and chest. Although I’ve recently incorporated more abdominal training into my exercise routine, the tumult isn’t from muscle soreness. It’s from stress that I must consciously control. Besides the manuscript, some events are in play that could bring a dramatic change to my life. To ease the tension, I have to breathe deeply and give thanks to God for all of the blessings Carole and I have received. Still, my anxiety persists. I’m looking forward to six when I can leave the dorm and step outside to begin my exercise.
Stress is a normal part of prison life. I’m very good at coping with the tension that frequently comes. One of the reasons that I commit to daily exercise is that I’ve found physical exertion to be an outstanding stress reducer. I’d like to go outside right now.
Today is a visiting day and Carole is scheduled to be here in about five hours. I’m looking forward to our time together. Holding her hand and talking about the future we’re building together helps me. Next week we expect to submit Earning Freedom to our agent and that will give us something new to feel thankful for.
This morning I will run only three miles and I’ll follow the run with 300 pushups. I’ve run 2,732 miles over the past 307 days.
Friday, 16 October 2009
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