Sunday, November 2, 2014
Earlier this evening I treated my mother and grandmother to dinner. One of my favorite meals is the Bonzai burger at Red Robin, and I really enjoyed my meal tonight. My mom and grandma are really great. Despite the decades that I served inside, they’re totally supportive of this obsession I have with building my career. It’s really all that I can think about. Many reasons influence the emphasis I place on building my career and stability. Primarily, I’m conscious of all the people I met in prison who were released and then returned to prison. Many of those people wanted to make it in society. Yet they always faced challenges, and those challenges eventually derailed their stability. They couldn’t find steady employment. They suffered with personal relationships. The pressure led them to too much drinking, partying, or substance abuse. Soon enough, they were back in trouble. Returns to prison frequently followed. As a consequence of writing stories of so many people who struggled, I’m hyper disciplined. Every day I remind myself of the values by which I profess to live, and I’m conscious of the goals that I’m striving to achieve. This commitment to a values-based, goal-oriented life requires that I work seven days each week—at least for now. I’m grateful to my mom and grandma for supporting this commitment that I make. Succeeding after 26 years of incarceration takes time. Carole and I are on a five-year plan, and we’re now more than two years into that plan. We’re ahead of schedule, but I have a long ways to go before I will feel strong.
Days since my release from prison: 447
Miles that I ran today: 12.8
Miles that I ran so far this week: 12.8
Miles that I’ve run during the month of November: 12.8
Miles that I ran so far in 2014: 2,062.94
Miles that I need to run in order to reach my annual goal of 2,400 miles: 337.06
Miles I’m ahead of schedule to reach my 2,400-mile goal by the end of 2014: 45.95
My weight for today: 168