It's December 1!
It’s December the 1st! Whoop! Whoop! Tomorrow will make four months since I reported. The months are rolling on by. Only 31 more days and 2023 will be here. There is something about being able to say "I am going home this year" that sounds so good to me, music to my ears. Come on in 2023!
The 1st and the 15th are both important days here because spending limits revalidate. This means you have a full spend amount. Since early this morning, the whole camp has been parked outside of the commissary waiting to bust their limits. As for me, I am falling back because I am waiting for one particular person to shop this morning. Why? Because she ordered a pair of sneakers I want and she has until today to pick them up; if she doesn't they are all mine. LOL! It’s the little things that count around here.
Besides the commissary madness, one of my students is leaving today. Since yesterday I watched her get ready to head out. Early yesterday she was in the mail room packing her final items. Last night I saw her in the TV room getting her hair done and this morning she is getting her makeup done. Watching people leave is a great thing! I am happy for anyone who finally gets to leave, no matter how long their sentence is. As she was getting her makeup done, a few of her friends started gathering around her. They spoke about how great she looks, how she lost weight, etc. She began to tear up. She tried to contain herself, but she couldn't. It is a bittersweet moment. However, at the end of the day you are leaving love to return to love, which is all there is and all that matters.
Leaving day is always special. I find it so beautiful that people put a lot of effort into leaving day, unlike the day you arrive. When you look at the ID badges, which were taken on arrival days, you can see the weight, pain, stress, and anxiety, and it is only head shot. This is the opposite polarity of the day someone leaves. They spend a whole lot of time prepping their outfits, getting hair, makeup and nails done. You not only want your family to know that you were okay, but it also represents the transformation to FREEDOM.
Later in the day, I received a departure book (well at least I call it that) from another girl I know. The departure book is a journal that your friends/associates write letters and put pictures in it. It is very sentimental. I had a chance to read through her book and even think about my own book. Although I still have some time left, I decided that I want to go ahead and purchase my book because many of my friends are leaving before me and I want them included.
I have already visualized leaving day for myself. I know exact what I am wearing and how I am going to wear it down to my hair, clothes, shoes, makeup, you name it. And the truth is, that day will be here before I know it. Therefore, I have set the intention to really allow my days to be filled with self love and self care. I want this time to be all about me. Self-FULL! When people ask me when I am leaving I tell them when I get free. That freedom is not based on my release date set by the BOP (Bureau of Prisons), the freedom I am referring to is freedom on the inside.
