From Dragonfly: The Game Never Ends

Sometimes, once you've jumped through so many "hoops," you think, okay, that's it, I'm done... The game never ends, though. There's always another road block or hoop... just get used to it. Accept that fact. Stay on course. Advocate for yourself - no one else here will!

I write this because we know how hard it was for me to finally get my exit paperwork completed. Then, we know how many mazes I needed to find my way out of to get approval for home confinement. Then, we know I've been doing the waiting game on when will region send back my paperwork --- with my choosing to check in with my case manager on a very regular basis. We are told to wait 45 days from when our paperwork is sent, but some regions only average 26 days, and I'm so close to the date that I needed to see if we could get the process moving. My case manager never complained, she'd look on the computer and say, "not back yet..."

Yesterday was 36 days from when the paperwork was sent. I once again waited in line to find out if my home confinement date of May 28th has been processed by region. While I waited in line, another inmate, who is with me almost every time I am seeing my case manager, came to tell me the update on her wait... She is to be going to halfway house on May 6th. Her paperwork was sent a week prior to mine. She hadn't heard anything. Turns out, her paperwork was never actually mailed. I'm not sure who failed to send it, but now they need to send it off and expedite it. Her sister already checked the halfway house, beds are available... they just need the paperwork processed. A story like hers is not irregular here. We all have so much difficulty getting out.

So, then it was my turn. Once again, my case worker was incredibly kind. She looked up my computer record. "Nothing yet..." It's been over a month, though, so she said, "let's email them..." She looks up my state. Turns out my state has two regional offices - one for the eastern side of the state and one for the western side of the state. She doesn't know whether the right office received my paperwork... so she emailed them... "I hope I sent the paperwork to the right address..." I wish we had known this issue a month ago - because if the wrong region received my paperwork, it could be a couple more weeks to get it processed by the right region. I pray not. I need to go home.

Going home, though, is going to be more of a process than I had realized. Even though I was told that I medically could not go to halfway house, I have to still go "through" the halfway house to home. So, instead of going home, I will spent 2-14 days (approx.) at a halfway house first. I will have to go through orientation. I am not sure why, if I was not allowed to go to halfway house, I am still required to spend time in one. I should have been at the halfway house, going through orientation already and heading home on or before the 28th of May. Now, I will have to go to the halfway house during my home confinement period. Seems really backward. Hasn't that been my entire experience here?

It's hard to not get frustrating at all the bureaucracy. Thank god I can spend some time relaxing and clearing my brain of the chaos. I always feel better after that. I am also starting a video program today, called "Yoga for Arthritis." I'm going to see if it helps me relax even better. It's the only work out video they offer here for people with medical issues (except wheel chair aerobics). Cali wants me to go to the rec center and work the video every morning - while she does a crazy video called Extremes or something like that. Ah, to be fully able-bodied. We'll see how today goes... I'm down over 30 pounds now without doing much for trying, so maybe this will help take off another few before I head back north.

This afternoon, I will be back at my case manager's office. We will see if she received an email back. Steps will be taken depending on what we hear. I will not give up hope that I am leaving here on May 28th. I still have 27 days and wake up to make it happen!