About 6:00 a.m. I was sweating on my indoor bicycle, something I do nearly every morning as part of my morning routine. And if it's not the bicycle, it's the treadmill, rowing machine, ellipitical machine. Bowflex weights, or one of the many other pieces of equipment that populate my living room. I'm fortunate enough to have the resources and the space to have a home gym, one that would compete wth some hotel gyms - which seem to be offered to guests as a sort of afterthought.
But, I'm going off in the weeds here. While I was riding, I received a phone call from a friend who's serving an eight year prison term in Maryland. As do most prisoners, he claims he was innocent of the robbery. That he was just giving his son a ride to a market when the son came running out and jumped in his car after robbing the store at gunpoint.
To make a long story short he's now into the third year of his sentence and going back to court on an appeal because he was only the driver and didn't take part in the actual robbery. He told me the sad story of contracting Covid when it swept through the prison, of the terrible conditions there, of the poor treatment, food, and living conditions - the kind of thngs we all complained about while in jail.
After he hung up I had a feeling of gratitude wash over me. Because I no longer use drugs or alcohol it's not too likely that I'll never be locked up again. Once I got sober I was able to take responsibilty for my behavior.
When life is imperfect - as it often is - it's not to difficult to look aroumd and find someone whose life is really a mess. And from that will come gratitude.
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