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Hi guys! How long has it been now, a few days? A couple of weeks, maybe? Possibly more by the time you read this.
To me, it feels like just a few short sleeps ago since The City of Light (Paris) wrapped up the 33rd Olympiad.
And truth be told, I miss it. I miss it all!
So now, as that famous Olympic Torch commences its four-year pilgrimage across hilly lands, dotty isles & vast blue oceans toward sunny California, I’m strangely inspired. Interestingly, there exists a duality to this inspiration. The first (and therefore quite obvious) is the astonishing feats I was entreated to. Breathtaking!
The second, less perceptible focus of inspiration came from the radius of respect each athlete emanated for his/her fellow competitors. It was like a halo!
How pleasing it was to witness 206 nations unite in peace & comradeship as their respective athletes showcased miraculous achievements on the world stage. Humanity’s greatest, inspiring us to be more.
Transfixed in awe, I gazed on as many thousands of super elite athletes from five continents & all corners of the globe converged on one city. With fire in their souls, they came ready to battle.
Yes, to battle! But not as foes, or as enemies. And not even as political adversaries of differing race, colour or creed. Heck no!
Instead, I laid eyes on majesty, totally enthralled by the giant enclave of humanity’s finest as they challenged (and often smashed!!) world records. Again & again. Those mental & physical limits that billions upon billions of worldwide spectators believed to be impossible. Unreachable. Unachievable.
This they did. And more! And all while under the patronage of those remarkable five coloured rings. Rings that to this very day chime for: Respect, Excellence, Achievement, Love, and Unity.
REAL-U
Not such an ill-fitting acronym for an event that celebrates not only respectfulness via achievement but also banishes prejudice and intolerance.
Hi guys! How long has it been now, a few days? A couple of weeks, maybe? Possibly more by the time you read this.
To me, it feels like just a few short sleeps ago since The City of Light (Paris) wrapped up the 33rd Olympiad.
And truth be told, I miss it. I miss it all!
So now, as that famous Olympic Torch commences its four-year pilgrimage across hilly lands, dotty isles & vast blue oceans toward sunny California, I’m strangely inspired. Interestingly, there exists a duality to this inspiration. The first (and therefore quite obvious) is the astonishing feats I was entreated to. Breathtaking!
The second, less perceptible focus of inspiration came from the radius of respect each athlete emanated for his/her fellow competitors. It was like a halo!
How pleasing it was to witness 206 nations unite in peace & comradeship as their respective athletes showcased miraculous achievements on the world stage. Humanity’s greatest, inspiring us to be more.
Transfixed in awe, I gazed on as many thousands of super elite athletes from five continents & all corners of the globe converged on one city. With fire in their souls, they came ready to battle.
Yes, to battle! But not as foes, or as enemies. And not even as political adversaries of differing race, colour or creed. Heck no!
Instead, I laid eyes on majesty, totally enthralled by the giant enclave of humanity’s finest as they challenged (and often smashed!!) world records. Again & again. Those mental & physical limits that billions upon billions of worldwide spectators believed to be impossible. Unreachable. Unachievable.
This they did. And more! And all while under the patronage of those remarkable five coloured rings. Rings that to this very day chime for: Respect, Excellence, Achievement, Love, and Unity.
REAL-U
Not such an ill-fitting acronym for an event that celebrates not only respectfulness via achievement but also banishes prejudice and intolerance.
Not surprisingly, I began to wonder about ‘us’. The collective us. The us in jail. The us that society has chosen to forget about, at least at some level. So with more than a heaped teaspoon of hope, I began to ponder on those proverbial, ‘what if’s’.
What if we decided to also choose respectfulness over prejudice & intolerance? Seems doable right? I mean, in this jail-house cauldron of edgy & misunderstood souls, wouldn’t our days run more smoothly if we practised tolerance & respect of others?
Doing so would mean we could concentrate on what really matters; and that is: doing our OWN time, and not somebody else’s. By respecting each other & steering well clear of bullshit prison politics, we might be in the favourable position to focus on building a better version of ourselves. You know, a version of ‘me’ that family and friends can be proud of.
Not dissimilar to how we were proud of our returned Olympians!
It is important to impart upon others that in turn we wish to receive: respect.
Under the caring eyes of our Creator, I feel that being respectful is a great way to start a new life.
Peace to you all, my brothers.
Joey
Not surprisingly, I began to wonder about ‘us’. The collective us. The us in jail. The us that society has chosen to forget about, at least at some level. So with more than a heaped teaspoon of hope, I began to ponder on those proverbial, ‘what if’s’.
What if we decided to also choose respectfulness over prejudice & intolerance? Seems doable right? I mean, in this jail-house cauldron of edgy & misunderstood souls, wouldn’t our days run more smoothly if we practised tolerance & respect of others?
Doing so would mean we could concentrate on what really matters; and that is: doing our OWN time, and not somebody else’s. By respecting each other & steering well clear of bullshit prison politics, we might be in the favourable position to focus on building a better version of ourselves. You know, a version of ‘me’ that family and friends can be proud of.
Not dissimilar to how we were proud of our returned Olympians!
It is important to impart upon others that in turn we wish to receive: respect.
Under the caring eyes of our Creator, I feel that being respectful is a great way to start a new life.
Peace to you all, my brothers.
Joey
I put the window down, and the wind rushed through my hair, and, as if by magical happenstance, How to Make Gravy came on the radio. His voice rolled out like it was coming from someone familiar, telling the story of Joe, writing home from prison before Christmas.
I had repeated this phrase to people so many times to emphasise how incredibly unbelievable it is that I failed English and am now going to be a published author.
I remember Christmas in prison fondly. I was with all my closest friends – my only friends. When they send you to jail, everyone and everything you have goes away.
I’d never have guessed at the amount of movement happening within the prison system. Not just within a particular prison – that in itself was eye-opening – but movement between prisons.
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Help us get About Time off the ground. All donations are tax deductible and will be vital in providing an essential resource for people in prison and their loved ones.
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