For August, the weather has been extremely mild. It rained all week with temperatures in the 50s at night and maybe pushing 70 degrees during the day. It certainly feels like September/October season is already here. Once again, this week quickly passed. I remained busy with working in the electric shop, teaching the resume class, and playing pickleball in-between the rain storms. Oh, I also have been practicing three times a week with the 2.0 Enhancement band. I am happy that the weeks have been passing by!
Often, I try to highlight some aspect of the prison culture in Morgantown. The unseasonably cooler weather has helped to keep the housing units without air conditioning tolerable for sleep. Mostly, the guys seem to have a positive outlook of the setting here. Most guys will hold the door open for the next person. Many guys play softball, basketball, shuffle board, bocce, horseshoes, and pickleball (of course) on a daily basis. Remaining busy and distracted is important to keep the peace and sanity of hundreds of guys housed together. Since I teach the classes in resume and self-esteem, I am a bit more mindful of how I might present myself…typically engaged and approachable. Without giving pretentious vibes, I often think that I should do my best to foster a welcoming and positive environment. It is a challenge, but I am mindful of it. On rare occasions, I’ll stay in bunk to rest instead of playing pickleball.
My absence seems to be noticed, since many guys will inquire where I was or what was going on. I actually had two guys comment that the pickleball court was quite boring without me there. It was quite the compliment. I encourage others to do their best, improve, and clarify questionable calls, which I am usually effective (like a referee). To help alleviate a few disgruntled guys, I try to maintain consistency with pickleball rules (thank you Tiffany for really helping me out with these situations). I will ask my sister for help with rule clarifications. As it would be, different pickleball associations have different rules, which certainly makes for fun situation. I was hoping that there would be one set of rules (one could wish).
The rules are important since we just had two pickleball tournaments this weekend. The teams that I was on didn’t do well at all. I was paired with individuals who were quite below par. I am quite content with not winning, since it is just fun to be outside and enjoy the weather when it cooperates. Ok, I’ll stop with the chit-chat about pickleball. Overall, I am grateful to be in Morgantown and not have to worry about my safety as if I were locked-up behind bars. As always, I appreciate all the support and kindness that so many of you have extended to me during this prison journey. I wish you a blessed week. Please continue to look for any little miracles in your life!