A New Beginning

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In times long since passed, the word reentry most commonly denoted the return of astronauts from space flights, i.e. their reentering our planet's atmosphere. That reentry process posed grave dangers for those returning explorers, and the ships in which they traveled. Indeed, if the angle of descent wasn't just right--or the speed of the spacecraft, or the quality and arrangement of the protective heat shields--both crew and ship would disintegrate during the maneuver. In this blog, I will write of a different, yet similarly challenging type of reentry: the return, to the larger community, of persons who have served time in prison.

I returned from my own stint in prison just over two (2) years ago. Many more years ago, as a 20-year-old neophyte, restlessness and impatience consumed me--as had my fondness for smoking marijuana. Having smoked my way out of college, the army, and a job, I acted on a reckless impulse to become a stick-up man. Free fall became rock bottom, with unbelievably tragic consequences. A shoot-out occurred. The other man died, and I became a dead man walking.

I ultimately served 30 years in prison as a first-time offender. I learned a lot during that time. In many ways, I became a man. I came home older, wiser, and determined to overcome the mistakes of my past. In the view of many, I served my time better, more constructively, than most of those who do time in prison. With a bachelors degree in hand, a clear and sharpened mind, a chastened spirit, and a commitment to personal excellence and redemptive community service of some kind, I left prison on a mission to gainsay the minimalist expectations of most formerly incarcerated persons. I knew my transition from prison to community would not proceed as smoothly as I liked. It has gone even less smoothly than anticipated.