How often has someone felt powerless over their circumstances? Too often, someone feels trapped in an emotional prison, yet the door is wide open. In the cellar of their spirit, echoes of despair are cries for freedom, but the candle of hope merely flickers enveloped with darkness, impeding the way out.
I know this scenario too well. Physical abuse and abandonment through my childhood, drug and alcohol addiction through my teens and early adult years, led to many bad decisions leading to my incarceration 30 years ago.
The evolution of change began in my journey when remorse, sobriety, healing, and understanding the consequences of my actions became part of my daily life. I then learned what real freedom meant.
Today, even though I am incarcerated, I am more free than when I was in society. I have maintained sobriety for 23 years, now. I no longer possess a criminal state of mind and my inner child has healed.
I have learned to embrace contentment, even in the most stressful circumstances. I learned I have a choice to feel content or discontentment. I look to the possibilities, noticing the opportunities before me rather than focusing on what’s wrong in my life. After all, life’s troubles will happen, however, those troubles will only make us stronger for the next challenge. I realize life is too short to waste on abstractions, hate, anger, and sadness.
I find the mindset to seek the beauty in each day, hold onto it so that I may stay centered, appreciative, and grateful for all the blessings in life. Deep in the cellar of my soul, the candle of hope shines very bright and there is no looming darkness, just a clear path to the doorway of contentment, which I can clearly see.
It is my hope that those people who are in an emotional prison may know that door is wide open, and the candle of hope always flickers in the dark. Love and light.
Contact Info:
Jason Lee Bayles #A302843
Southern Ohio Corr. Facility (SOCF)
PO Box 45699
Lucasville, OH 45699
GTL / GettingOut.Com
Booking # A302843
When prompted to choose a prison: ODRC Southern Ohio CI
