Don't let your time do you

June 10, day 156

Dear Dee,
Thanks for the newsy letter. Interesting that you commented on my keeping track of the day number. I've been mulling over the idea that maybe I should give that up. One of the inmates told me he read a book titled, "Do Your Time, Don't Let Your Time Do You." In it, they recommended that you not obsess about how much time you've done and how much remains to be done. When I consider the 156 days, it seems pretty puny compared to the more than 2,200 that remain. So I may stop keeping count. I'm trying every trick in the book to shake off this depression.
I got quite a laugh from the material you reprinted from the prison website. The only true item was the 40-hour Drug Education Program. There is no counseling available at the unit level and, while there is a staff psychologist, he works in administration only doing an entry interview with each new person. It was during that interview that I found out there is no treatment available.
Thanks for the info on the UU Church of the Larger Fellowship Prison Ministry. I'll write them tomorrow. BTW, they do have e-mail here but I'm not allowed to use it because of the nature of my charge. I do have a lot of time to write letters and love to get as many letters as possible.

Yes, I do have a job. I just started it a week ago...I'm ladling out slop in the chow hall. For this I get $5 a month. I have a small pension from before that covers my commissary items--soap, deodorant, toothpaste, snacks, and soft drinks. My social security payments stopped when I came in.

This morning I saw a doctor and asked him how to go about getting my blood pressure meds. "You mean you've been without then since you got here?" He was quite surprised and promised to get them going within a day.

I just got some new pictures of my granddaughter. She always seems to be smiling...must be a happy baby. I can't wait to see her, hold her and smother her with kisses. I'll go slow so I don't scare her. Yes, the visiting rules here are very strict so we'll see how long she lasts.

I have lost nearly 30 pounds since coming in. The process has slowed somewhat since I started getting snacks and I plan to start cutting back so I can continue to lose. I'm not really dieting. It's just that the food is so lacking in nourishment. It's heavy on the rice and beans.

Feel free to write often.

Love, Kent