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Thursday, August 17, 2006
It's Thursday!
And you know what that means...
There is still a war in Iraq, W still thinks he's our prez, and it appears that the most important news that is happening, at least in Colorado, has to do with JonBenet. Again.
But really, Thursdays mean...
Thursdays with TJ! Today, we did the first ten minutes of our walk in silence. I can't give you a scientific explanation of what happens when two people walk in intentional silence, but I find the experience to be quite profound. If you haven't done it, you'll have to try it in order to know what I mean.
TJ and I do our NVC walks in a nearby park - an oasis with a small lake. I like a lot of things about this park, but I especially like its natural setting. No grassy lawn. Today we saw a big, beautiful fox, a woman walking around the lake with a green parrot on her shoulder, and a marching band tooting and drumming as they strutted around the lake. Ah, life is so entertaining.
Today, as TJ and I practiced NVC, I experienced the power and beauty of this type of relating. To be present in this way is a gift to the giver and the receiver. Wait a minute. I'm not sure if there is a giver and a receiver. We are all both at the same time.
Another Thursday happening:
DeeAnn, the last of the NBFO12 got out of jail a few minutes after midnight this a.m. From what I've observed, a ten-day sentence means whatever the heck the system decides it should mean in the moment.
Here's how the TEN-DAY jail time worked out for everyone:
Drew got to spend his sentence in the Work Release program, even though he doesn't have a job. For him, that meant three days in lock-down and five days in Work Release where he never went to work. His final day lasted only until a few minutes past midnight, but, being on Work Release, he got to pay for the whole day.
Carolyn and Ellen were never offered Work Release and went in on a Wednesday a.m. (day one) and got out on a Saturday a.m. (day eleven) a week and a half later. That is technically ten days (if you count by the hours), but if you counted the way they counted Drew's time, Carolyn and Ellen were there eleven days.
Bonnie, 75, refused to participate in the Work Release program that the deputy tried to cram down her throat. Since she doesn't have a job, they said she could do Work Release while looking for a job. Bonnie said that she didn't go to jail to get a job. She went in on day one and got out on the morning of day ten.
DeeAnn, who just got out, was on Work Release. Counting the first and last days, she was in for eight days. Like Drew, she got out a little after midnight on her last day, but got to pay for the whole day. Unlike Drew or any of the others, she was only allowed visitors on the weekends.
Just think! Room and board for free or for a small charge, and you get all kinds of side benefits, like learning non-attachment and humility, and, as Drew puts it, you get to learn to find dignity within yourself while residing in a place that tries to strip you of all dignity.
"The police were so impressed by the simple dignity of this little man [Gandhi] that they seemed to be not his jailers but his prisoners. He was at this very best when being persecuted. He was at his strongest when under pressure. And he was free whether inside prison or out." - From Gandhi the Man by Eknath Easwaran
.
There is still a war in Iraq, W still thinks he's our prez, and it appears that the most important news that is happening, at least in Colorado, has to do with JonBenet. Again.
But really, Thursdays mean...
Thursdays with TJ! Today, we did the first ten minutes of our walk in silence. I can't give you a scientific explanation of what happens when two people walk in intentional silence, but I find the experience to be quite profound. If you haven't done it, you'll have to try it in order to know what I mean.
TJ and I do our NVC walks in a nearby park - an oasis with a small lake. I like a lot of things about this park, but I especially like its natural setting. No grassy lawn. Today we saw a big, beautiful fox, a woman walking around the lake with a green parrot on her shoulder, and a marching band tooting and drumming as they strutted around the lake. Ah, life is so entertaining.
Today, as TJ and I practiced NVC, I experienced the power and beauty of this type of relating. To be present in this way is a gift to the giver and the receiver. Wait a minute. I'm not sure if there is a giver and a receiver. We are all both at the same time.
Another Thursday happening:
DeeAnn, the last of the NBFO12 got out of jail a few minutes after midnight this a.m. From what I've observed, a ten-day sentence means whatever the heck the system decides it should mean in the moment.
Here's how the TEN-DAY jail time worked out for everyone:
Drew got to spend his sentence in the Work Release program, even though he doesn't have a job. For him, that meant three days in lock-down and five days in Work Release where he never went to work. His final day lasted only until a few minutes past midnight, but, being on Work Release, he got to pay for the whole day.
Carolyn and Ellen were never offered Work Release and went in on a Wednesday a.m. (day one) and got out on a Saturday a.m. (day eleven) a week and a half later. That is technically ten days (if you count by the hours), but if you counted the way they counted Drew's time, Carolyn and Ellen were there eleven days.
Bonnie, 75, refused to participate in the Work Release program that the deputy tried to cram down her throat. Since she doesn't have a job, they said she could do Work Release while looking for a job. Bonnie said that she didn't go to jail to get a job. She went in on day one and got out on the morning of day ten.
DeeAnn, who just got out, was on Work Release. Counting the first and last days, she was in for eight days. Like Drew, she got out a little after midnight on her last day, but got to pay for the whole day. Unlike Drew or any of the others, she was only allowed visitors on the weekends.
Just think! Room and board for free or for a small charge, and you get all kinds of side benefits, like learning non-attachment and humility, and, as Drew puts it, you get to learn to find dignity within yourself while residing in a place that tries to strip you of all dignity.
"The police were so impressed by the simple dignity of this little man [Gandhi] that they seemed to be not his jailers but his prisoners. He was at this very best when being persecuted. He was at his strongest when under pressure. And he was free whether inside prison or out." - From Gandhi the Man by Eknath Easwaran
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posted by Carol at 10:17 AM
2 Comments:
The problems exhibited by their crazy cipher'n demonstrates why Seseme Street must never be taken off the air...The Count is da man....
..if you can... check out on Youtube the S Street parody of Springsteen as they rock out singing "Baby we were born to add"
Respectfully,
nogo postal
I raised my kids on Sesame Street and I remember "Baby We Were Born to Add". Great song! I suggest that we pipe it into the jails.
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