My Coaches

In May, 2008, on the brink of suicide, having lost my family, employment, friends, and secrets... My secret gambling life being exposed, I threw out nearly everything I had valued over my 35 years of life - articles I was quoted in, pictures of my childhood, keepsakes from events I coordinated or attended, news stories from historical events, note books or papers that meant something, favorite books, nick naks, furnishings, transcripts, plays I wrote, artwork, and so much more. Crates, boxes, and shelves of stuff that moved with me from house to apartment to anywhere I called home. It grew over the years. Some of it was replaceable (like transcripts), some not (like my plays). I did not care at the time. It had no value to me because I had no value to me. I threw it all away.

Today, as I have to plan for a move where I cannot bring anything in with me, and I must sell things to help support me, I do not want to make the same mistake. I cannot afford to keep all my furniture and things stored. I also do not have the means to automatically afford the monthly balance I will need in my commissary account ($100+). I will do a later post on commissary needs. So, selling things must be part of my plan. Therefore, I need to balance value to me with value for my livelihood. 

This is where my coaches come in. I have a couple individuals in my life - Survivor and Traveler who are assisting me with decisions, especially the difficult decisions, I must make over the next several months. Traveler helps me with all things household. She is helping me decide what to sell and already telling me what not to sell (like my couch and one bedroom set) and will help with that process. Survivor helps with all things financial and she will send my commissary money orders once a month into prison camp. I will make no large financial decisions like what to do about my bills, etc without talking with Survivor first.

Going to prison is overwhelming. If you are given the opportunity to get your affairs in order and self surrender, don't try to do everything on your own. If you have a spouse and/or family that are supportive and willing to help, ask them! If they are not, ask a friend!!! Get a coach, someone you trust!!!! If your spouse is too angry to assist you, ask someone else.