Well… it is that time of year… it’s holiday season at T.I…
Although we celebrate every single national holiday in a uniquely fantastic way in here… I feel like Thanksgiving and Christmas are the show stoppers and this week is Thanksgiving week. When I first got to T.I… I constantly thought about the holidays… mostly dreading them and worrying how hard they would be for not only myself in here but for my family and loved ones out there. But we are here now and I actually have a whole new perspective going into this week…
I have found that there is an interesting dynamic at play in here as November has been under way and there is a noticeable difference in the “vibe” of the compound. Rather than a somber… ‘woe is me because it is supposed to be a happy time of year but I am in prison” vibe… there is actually a uniting, “family”, come together for each other feeling that has swept the campus for the past week or so. I am not completely sure where this stems from but my personal hypothesis is similar to other aspects of this place that draws us together… the notion that we are all in the same boat. We are all missing our families, friends and loved ones… we are all wishing we were sitting at the dinner table with those people on Thursday… we are all longing for the awkward family interactions… the laughs… the stupid arguments… the “stress” that isn’t warranted in any real way… the stories… the unity… the quiet bonding moments… all the nuances that come with the holidays… we all want every ounce of it and we can’t have it. But… we can’t have it together and that unites us… we know exactly what the guy next to us is going through… we over hear the phone conversations and talk to each other about what each of our families are doing out there this week… all of it brings us closer together and allows us to feel a “family” vibe without the actual family. It is pretty inspiring… the raw human nature of it all… guys from all over the nation… all different races, ages and view points on the world… all dropping the B.S. and just being there for one another… brings a smile to my face.
Now let’s talk about what this week holds as my first real holiday here at T.I… The campus is up and running per usual from Monday – Wednesday… just as a work week or school week would be in the real world. This means that the Canteen is slammin for those 3 days… the units that we would normally need to shop in 5 days… we have to shop in 3 days and 1000 guys in the holiday spirit of wanting all the honeybuns, snicker bars, new addition carrot cakes and swiss rolls that any grown up man can handle makes me a busy boy from Monday to Wednesday. Then the holiday festivities begin… we are off work from Thursday – Sunday and Thanksgiving Day will start off with holiday bingo in the morning. Per usual… guys (I’m talking 400+ guys) will get in line out on the South Yard starting at 5:30am in order to play Bingo at 7am. Once that wraps up… we will get ready for the big “holiday meal” around 10:30/11am… this is big time. We are talking real turkey… grilled sausage links… mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, corn bread, cranberry sauce, garden salad, sweet potatoes… all finished off with pumpkin pie AND pecan pie. Once again… some light within the darkness and I will take it. Add Thanksgiving NFL on top of that and it sounds like it should shape up to be a pretty good day over here. Then on Saturday… there will be snow cones on the south yard and 4 bands will play on the basketball court from 12:30pm – 3:30pm for their second “Fall Concert Series”… we had the same entertainment on Veteran’s Day and it was very cool so looking forward to that as well.
All in all… I am doing my best to make the most out of my reality. I would trade everything in this world and a billion other worlds to be with my boys and family this week but that is simply not possible. So, I will call them… I will let them know how much they are missed and loved and that I hope more than anything that they are enjoying every single second of the day and week.
Hug your loved ones… Laugh hysterically… Sing that song… Dance in the kitchen… Eat absolutely everything without a worry in the world and be PRESENT and GRATEFUL for every moment…
Happy Thanksgiving!