KEY POINTS

Point of Perserverance:

I just graduated from my mandatory drug treatment class. It was brutal. Despite the fact that they admitted I did not need drug treatment, they said the fact that I have been in prison for nearly 25 years meant I should take the class and if I want to go to work release early it is required. So for the last eight weeks I spent 4 hours a day listening to guys tell their drug war stories. Honestly, the best thing I can say about it is that it is over.

Point of Practice:

My giant pumpkin is not as big as I would like but it probably weighs about 300 lbs now. The drug class took me out of work four days a week so I could only tend to it on Fridays after all my other work. But it is still beautiful and I am inspired to grow a giant when I get out.

Point of Peace:

I have been practicing my version of forest therapy by finding a spot in the garden or woods where I can journal. It is peaceful to just spend a few minutes in nature and quietly reflect. I can't wait to practice actual forest bathing.

THE PLANET

We are well on our way to having the first Washington prison that handles virtually 100% of it's organic waste on site. The machines are in place and we are just waiting for the electricians to plug them in. This has been a goal of mine for over a decade. Working within a bureaucracy that doesn't prioritize environmental impact has been a challenge to say the least. Most of the time I have felt like I'm trudging through the mud with lead shoes on and I am so excited to take those shoes off! But, we accomplished it and it feels really good to be leaving on a high note.

BIG IDEA

As I am approaching the "rubber meets the road" part of this journey I can see why so many people who have served long sentences fall into the common pitfall of feeling like they have to hit the ground running and make up for lost time. For over a decade I've been developing this big beautiful vision for creating a soft landing spot, taking time for self development and building a plan for thriving over just surviving. I've written pages and pages about the ideas and details of what EARN will look like, what we need, the scope of our reach and a myriad of other issues. I have been the biggest proponent of taking the time to make your life after incarceration outrageously satisfying and full of happiness.

So when it came down to planning out my own exit strategy, in classic "do as I say not as I do" fashion I came up with the plan to get to work release, find a job, and work as many hours as possible to make money to start EARN. I shared this plan with my buddy Kevin and he shared with me that it was a plan that was misaligned with my mission and encouraged me to take some of my own advice.

So new plan: I reached out to some friends at Collective Justice and they have graciously offered me a landing spot in the form of office space and time to work on the next chapter. I have spent years mining podcasts, and reading everything I can get my hands about running a business, launching a startup, revenue streams, and fundraising for nonprofits. I have a whole notebook full of resources, workshops, and classes that I want to check out. My original plan was to work all day and do that stuff at night. But I have decided to put those priorities first. The new legislation bought me an extra six months and I am going to take that time to focus on learning everything I can about grant writing platforms, crowd sourcing, nonprofit management etc. I'm also going to take classes and hopefully work with a nonprofit startup mentoring program. Most importantly, I am going to be in a healthy setting where I can take the time for self-care and really map out the future. I will probably need to take some part-time work to cover my living expenses, hopefully in the form of some projects, grant writing or content development, for other nonprofits, but I plan on devoting the bulk of my time to building EARN. I am incredibly excited for the next leg of this journey!