I barely slept in anticipation of having a decent spot in line. Around 5:30 am, I sprung from my bunk and bundled up putting on all the clothing that was issued to me. At 6:00 am, our dorm was called to the store and these guys started running, it was like watching a sad Turkey run with a bunch of guys galloping to be first in a long line. The brisk cold air numbed my face, and I think someone said it was 12 degrees. It was purely cold, but the excitement of the day kept me warm.
I spent the latter of last evening working on my list for the essentials, the sweatshirt and pants, underwear, socks, long johns, and bath soap, toothbrush, razor, and especially laundry detergent. I carried a dirty laundry sack (it was clean since I have two laundry sacks), used it as a scarf, and stood about 25 people deep just jumping and shaking to keep warm for about 45 minutes. A man collected the meticulously calculated order sheet. Then, I waited another 15 minutes until I was about to enter the building (they only permitted two guys at a given time).
During the mad dash, I noticed an older gentleman in front of me. He was hustling down the winding path to the store. When we stopped, he sighed, “I haven’t moved that fast in about 30 years.” He was a delight to wait in the blistering cold with. He shared stories about his drug addiction to meth and how his faith has helped him recover. He’s been sober for two years and is 62 years old. He’s simple, loveable, and just a beam of light. He really reminds me of Uncle Angelo…personality and all. We had good conversations and watched the sunrise over the rolling mountains. Without thinking about the commissary goods, it was an amazing way to start the day.
Then, one of the elves delivered all the goods, and I hastened to put them in my little laundry sack. However, they were out of sweat pants (what>?!), dish soap, and shaving cream. Heck, they had everything else and that made me quite fortunate. As I closed the sack and launched the bag over my shoulder, I ventured back into the cold for the quarter mile trekked back to the dorm. Along the way, I was in tears…partly since I was relieved to have something but mostly because I thought of the opportunity I just experienced. Yet, families in the United States (and the memories of the developing countries that I had visited over the years) lack this same opportunity. Here in the many comforts of this campus, I know that I have a secure shelter, a place to peacefully rest, hot shower, routine full meals, and so much more. The flow of emotion was full of gratitude for those that have helped make this moment happen, even after 1 week in prison. I have been here for 1 full week. While it has felt more like a month, the challenges that I experienced are more personal and self-reflective. Yet, in the scope of the reality of the world, I am in a protective and somewhat nurturing bubble.
During a long, hot shower, I could shave, use actual soap, and brush/floss my teeth with real toothpaste! The feeling is very much like having traveled about 24 hours in the same clothes, feeling exhausted, then taking that first shower and brushing teeth – the feeling of being refreshed, clean, and just human and not some barbaric Neanderthal. I am both spoiled and blessed this day. I am always blessed, but this particular day was joyous. I was happy to hear how the gentleman that I was in line with had a similar experience of joy for being able to have something, and he was coming from being displaced and on the streets (is the p.c. way to say homeless.. “home challenged” or “unhoused”?). I almost forgot…the most expensive and critical item for my success to be on time is an old, digital watch that I was able to purchase too. I felt more complete and human today than I had in the last other 6 days.
Lunch snuck up on me today, since I had been overjoyed to “play” with my new toys. While lunch was just a processed breaded chicken sandwich, the weather took a turn for the better – clear sunny skies and temperature around 50 degrees. As I strolled the campus, I walked the track, prayed, and then watched a shuffle board game followed by…. PICKLEBALL!? Yes, they have two pickleball courts…how is this even prison?! What I really need to get my tennis shoes asap (but it is a 30 day wait for the store to order them). For this Thanksgiving and into the weekend, they are having an array of events: a concert tomorrow evening and different tournaments from Thursday through Sunday (pickleball, cornhole, soccer, shuffle board, handball, horseshoes, and many more).
I briefly spoke with my sister (Tiffany) and nephew (Kenny Max). Phones are limited to 15 minutes per call, which are interrupted every 5 minutes. It is quite annoying how the one main source of communication is disrupted and conducted on broken equipment. Dinner also rushed quickly, which was a BBQ pulled pork sandwich with sweet coleslaw and baked beans (toot toot).
Overall, today was an incredibly memorable day, which highlights the desperate low that I had been one week ago. Prayers, love, gratitude, and blessings!