Well this is the second holiday I have spent in jail this year (the first being Halloween). For the most part it seems seems just another day, but a gloomy, ominous presence in the air surrounds us that reminds this is a special day everywhere else but here. Our families and loved ones are out there doing what families and loved ones are supposed to be doing...what we should be doing.
The James Musick facility was nice enough though to give us a "Thanksgiving dinner" in place of our usual sack lunch. We had a slice of turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, corn, salad, and a genuine (and extremely delicious I might add) slice of pumpkin pie with real whipped cream on top.
It was the best meal I've had here in over two months, but upon its conclusion the reality set in that I was in a jail chow hall with 200 some odd inmates eating Thanksgiving dinner instead of at my parents' loving home in Yorba Linda with my grandparents and brothers. I fought back tears of remorse for my poor choices. And then tears of anger at myself for being here yet again instead of with my family.
But my good friend Rich, who doesn't strike me as a man who gives speeches, said some kind things to me in the way he does. He said that I am young (which is true) and I have plenty more Thanksgivings ahead of me to spend with my family. As long as I really am the person I appear to be the Thanksgiving of 2008 that I spent in jail will be a memory I can look back on later in life and laugh. Which I will. I am good at putting a comical spin on things later on that aren't very funny at the time.
Shortly after lunch, after I had to gather the belongings of two inmates who got rolled out to main jail from their work, I remembered the things I do have to be thankful for. As strange as it may sound, I am thankful I am in jail at this time. Without this reality being reinforced in my thinking every holiday I spend here I might not take my time as seriously as I definitely should. If that makes sense.
And I am thankful that I am in jail here. Although the farm is no walk in the park, it could always be worse. For real. I really cannot get too excited about anything nowadays it seems.
Happy Thanksgiving.
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Yeah i was wondering about that meal thing. Hopefully they didn't give you a turkey sandwich and say "Hey Happy Thanksgiving inmate scum" they actually gave you guys a real dinner.
Yeah you have to make everything comical even if it does suck, do it in the Christopher Walken voice too that puts a nice touch on it. LOL.
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