13 May Less Than 1 Month Until I Report to Prison
With less than one month until I report to prison, there is a lot to address. It’s an odd place to be in – much to do yet also enough time left to enjoy life and freedom. A delicate balance indeed. I am renting my home out while I am away, so there is plenty of work between decluttering possessions and getting them ready for storage. However, I also want to spend time with the people I care about doing the things we all love. So what did I do with my day Thursday, May 13th, with less than one month to report to Yankton Prison Camp?
Like most days – I worked on my house…which seems to be a never-ending project. I keep coming up with things to address. Sometimes I wonder if I am creating projects at this point. Caulking, painting, organizing, reorganizing, donating to Goodwill, donating stuff to friends, the list goes on. It is astounding how much stuff one can acquire after living in the same home for almost eight years. And I consider myself a bit of a minimalist – unless it comes to bicycles, in which case I fully admit I could likely trim down the collection.
After all this, I met with a financial planner and worked on power of attorney involving banking. It’s nerve-racking, but you need someone you trust who can manage the financial aspect of your life while you are away. One should formulate a strategy that enables them to come out of prison and get back to where they once were, or ideally even better. Having your finances in order should help immensely with that. These tasks take up a lot of time, but I’m learning that one’s time is better spent on such tasks rather than lamenting your current situation/fear of the future/nervousness about prison, etc.
Before the day ended, I headed out to the Boise River. We have a white water park in Boise, and I went surfing this evening. The picture above is from my bike ride home. Most of my friends and my community in Boise know what I am going through. The support they are providing has been moving. It is so good to get to spend this time with them, and although I know I will miss everyone, I also know a time will come when I get to see everyone again. Having a supportive group of people you care about in a town you love living in cannot be understated. Nurture and appreciate the people you have in your life who are on your side – they are priceless.
On a side note, however, one thing that will benefit you is to speak with those who have actually been through the process. You’ll find a wealth of information in them, far more than you will watching prison shows on Netflix or Hollywood movies like this.