Prison Journal: Day 8,193
January 14, 2010
By working to inspire the prisoners around me, I keep my internal engine of motivation in good shape. It is important to lead by example, and as the longest serving prisoner here I always look for opportunities to mentor other prisoners. Recently I resumed participation with the Toastmasters Club in Taft Camp.
As a public speaking group, the Toastmasters provides participants with opportunities to express their thoughts in an open forum. It’s a liberating experience, and those participating can devote as much time as they want to preparing their presentations. When I was beginning my term in prison I used to look forward to Toastmasters meetings for the entire week. I would write, then practice my speech repeatedly every day in anticipation of the performance. I considered every speech I delivered as a challenge to hold the attention of my audience, to inspire men with words.
The Toastmasters group here needs an influx of passion. We have a room that can hold 70-plus participants, but the group averages only about 20 people per session. Besides the low attendance levels (and perhaps more troubling) is the reservation among the members to participate more enthusiastically. In the weeks and months to come, I hope to change that.
I recognize public speaking as a valuable tool to help people triumph over adversity. God gifted us with the ability to use our minds, and with the blessing of language to express ourselves. In prison, these gifts can atrophy if not used. By participating actively and passionately in Toastmasters, my fellow prisoners can become better communicators–and better communication skills will make them better thinkers. Today I outlined 10 speeches that I want to have ready in my mind.
This morning I ran 10 miles and followed the run with 400 pushups.
[Consecutive running log: 3,533 miles over 398 days]
[2010 Pushups: 4,400]
Thursday, 14 January 2010
Prison Journal: Day 8,029
August 3, 2009
Carole and I expect my release will come in no more than three years. The Bureau of Prisons (BOP) has a schedule that shows my release from prison will come in August of 2013, but I become eligible for release on parole a bit sooner, and for halfway house placement sooner still. Once I’m out of prison, we begin the next phase of our lives, and we’re both taking our preparations very seriously.
My hopes are to build a career in writing, speaking, and teaching, so I’ll spend several hours each day working to advance that agenda. I am proud to have received a formal invitation to speak at Stanford University Law School once I’m free, and I’m actively looking to receive additional speaking invitations. Naturally, once I’m free this task will be easier, but even from prison I can take affirmative steps to ensure that when I am released, opportunities await me.
The big project I’m working on to prepare for release is my new manuscript, Earning Freedom. This morning I woke early and resumed writing on chapter six. By 5:40 am, I wrote through page 268, then I went outside to exercise. After completing my 10-mile run, I wrote through page 272. I may finish the first draft of this chapter tomorrow.
The manuscript motivates me, and I’ll keep working at it for as long as it takes to secure a publishing agreement. I ought to finish a draft of the entire story by October, though continued polishing may require many more drafts.
When I complete this manuscript, I intend to write a few more. My intentions are to leave prison with a considerable amount of content to launch my career. That’s why every day I serve is important, essential to my success.
My 10-mile run this morning boosted my tally to 2,072 miles over the past 234 days.
Prison Journal: Day 8,021
July 26, 2009
A sad reality of prison life is that the rules limit us to 300 telephone minutes per month. With my writing, my preparations for release, and Internet projects, I feel obligated to reserve all of my phone minutes for Carole, who coordinates my interactions with society. A consequence of this choice is that I feel estranged from my mother and my sisters.
We’ve had news here about e-mail services that the prison will make available to the prisoners of Taft Camp. Prisoners in several other camps already have access to e-mail and from what I’ve heard it’s a wonderful system. We will have to pay a nominal fee to use the e-mail system, but we will not have to suffer the ridiculous limitations that block us from telephone and visiting access. I’m really optimistic about the e-mail program, as once it comes, I’ll be able to build closer connections with my mom and my sisters.
This morning I resumed my work on chapter 5 at 3:12 AM. I wrote through page 233, then went outside to exercise. After finishing my run, I returned to my writing, and by 3:00 in the afternoon I had reached page 236 of the manuscript, concluding the first draft of chapter five. I spent the remainder of the afternoon writing letters to professors who have invited me to speak at their universities upon my release.
I ran 10 miles this morning. My running tally is now 1,999 miles over the past 226 days.
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