My strange new life

One of my favorite hiking path pictures which gives the hiker the choice of more than one path to take, just like life.

Almost a month between posts...not good, I will lose my audience that way. Anyhow, now that I am in the groove of my commute, work, sleep, play new weekly schedule I am trying not to lose the things I enjoyed doing, like this blog.

With more time at the prison I am encountering some of the dark side of prison life that I will spend a few moments commenting upon. I am told that all prisons develop a political life that consists of power brokers who intimidate by threats of violence, and often act as judge, jury and executioner when they encounter someone who violates their ideas of proper behavior. This would include any who compromised other criminals during their conviction, like turning in a drug dealer or cooperating with the police. They do not tolerate anyone whose crime was of a sexual nature against children. They insist on reading all inmate communications to make sure no one breaks up their government of intimidation.  I find it discouraging and mystifying.

Nevertheless, so many in prison are trying to improve who they are, why they react the way they do and trying to be model prisoners during their incarceration.

They do their best to stay away from and above the politics, and I am there to find and encourage more of them to walk away from fear even when it enters their life in the form of this sick system of justice they have going.  I am a month away from finishing my trial period, and getting some vacation time that is building up each week over in the real column from the potential column.

We are hoping to make a return visit to the Big Island of Hawaii since we enjoyed a week there in 2013. Thinking about scheduling it during the time when whales are in the area, something we have never done. I have been getting better health checkups since my first retirement and my heart seems to be working fine without the recurring problems that plagued me for a time. I am hopeful but realistic about the future, I just know that I am walking in the path I need to be in for this time in our early retirement life.