Josh on Holidays and Birthdays in Prison

A birthday spent in prison has its benefits and its downfalls. Just like on holidays. For some, it's just another day where no mail is passed out. for others, it's a day to get together with the fellas and hang out. You can usually tell which people have been down for a long time and which ones just came to prison by what they do and how they act on holidays and birthdays. The ones who have been around in prison forawhile usually pay no attention to the days which all of the free world celebrates. They go on with their daily activities as any other day. Then you have the new people who dwell on being in here for these days. Not wanting to interact with anyone and totally mierable. I personally try to live holidays and birthdays as I do all other days. To dwell on the things you have no control of onl makes your time go by harder and slower. I do think of my family on these days and I'm not sad because I'm in here. This is the life I have dealth myself and I have to be a man and accept responsibility for what I have done. Even if that means I can't spend these specials days with my family. When we are on a yard that has a normal program that isn't on lockdown, we come out onto the yard and hang out with the only fammily we have here: brothers of our race! We all pay each other respect and wish each other happy birthdays, etc. Some might think this place is full of hard core criminals who are evil, but that is a lie the government puts on us to make us all look like sexual predators, etc. We are a family in here and we treat each other with respect and love. Now there are murderers and people like that in here, but most are here for petty crimes. So on days such as birthdays and holidays we get together and enjoy each other's company. So most of us replace our famly's company on holidays and share each other's company in here. And on birthdays we draw cards and pass them along for everyone to sign and it always makes that person's birthday worth smiling over. So some things such on these days and some things make it better. All in all, it is what it is and we have to make the best of it.