Time Is Currency: A letter from inside Perryville….
What does effective time management mean to me in prison?
Many of us have wasted so much time getting caught up in the routine of prison life and everything that comes with it, count time, dead end jobs, television, endless card games. These things can be distraction, but the time you have in prison is valuable. You are laying the foundation for the plans and skills you will need for the rest of your life.
Peer to peer education, work based learning, college…if these opportunities are available to the inmate, they are worth the time. Get involved. Start taking action toward your future. If nothing else, these things keep your mind sharp, active, and engaged. When you fill your days with purpose, you begin to see your time here differently. You stop counting the days and start making the days count. You will be amazed at how quickly time flies when you are working toward something.
To go to bed each night knowing you accomplished something that moves you closer to your long term goals, that is a feeling worth chasing. Successful reentry does not happen by accident. It is built, one day at a time, from right where you are standing now.
There are very real reasons to take your education and skill development seriously while you are here. Financial security. Freedom to live life on your own terms. The confidence that comes from knowledge and growth. These things do not find you. You have to go find them.
I constantly remind myself that I will not let my past dictate my future. There is no time like the present to start becoming a better version of myself. I am currently enrolled at Ashland University. I have earned certifications in graphic arts, computer technology, and plumbing. I am using this time to build a future that I am proud of….and it has never looked more promising.
XOXO Jenay Hensley, ASPC-Perryville
The woman who wrote this letter is more than a contributor to my blog. She is my sister-in-law, and she is currently incarcerated at Perryville. She is also the reason I met my husband. When I started Perryville: The Unpolished Truth, she was one of my biggest supporters. We talk, we visit, and I do my best to help her thrive while she is inside. When I told her about my blog she didn't hesitate. She had something to say and she wanted to say it. What follows are her words, unfiltered and unedited, from inside the walls of Perryville.
