One Breath at a Time
In May of 2021, I self-surrendered here at Fed Med, the Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri. A year later, the experiences of my first days here fill my mind’s eye in technicolor. Although the culture shock was not as jarring as Orange is the New Black as Piper Chapman's experience, acclimating to prison’s written and unwritten rules, its daily and weekly rituals, its labyrinth of tunnels and rooms, and it's inter and intra group politics, required patience, adaptability and lucidity. A year later, these traits still help me navigate the sometimes tempest of incarcerated life. In moments of anxiety, tension, and uncertainty but also in times of joy, elation and accomplishment, I strive to stay rooted in my practice, on the path and with the breath. As an incarcerated Buddhist, I go to the refuge of the Buddha, I go to the refuge of the the dharma, I go to the refuge of the sangha. 26 centuries a...