Reply ID: Rdc9

5/21/2016

Anne,

Hello! How are you?

I apologize it has take me so long to respond back. I have been super busy. I was going to run the next 10k which is this coming weekend, but you cannot run with your radio. I do not wish to run 6 miles with no music.

So now, this weekend I have been trying to just take time out for me.

As for Brodi—I always want to place an "e" at the end of his name. Anyhoo, when I complete the drug program that I am in in July, I will go back to the dog dorm, but I will not get Brodi back. I will get a different dog. I'm totally okay with that. It's not about me. It never was. It's about training the dog so they can be assigned to a recipient.

Brodi is being trained for scent detection for type 1 diabetes. So he can detect the sugar highs or the sugar lows.

What I meant when I said that I am learning a lot about myself is this: Before I came to the dog program, I already had it in my mind to not get high or drink. I mean, if I still had the same thinking after fourteen years of being incarcerated, then something's wrong! Right?

So, when I came into the dog program, I realized that I never really looked on myself or gave Mischelle a chance. Like, for instance, I knew I made a lot of bad choices in life, but why did I make choices like that? Coming into the program, I realized and have came to accept that most, if not all, of my actions are learned behaviors.

So with this being said, my behavior needs to change in order for me to change. I have realized this and have accepted this as well.

As for me crying for 2 weeks, I never gave myself time to cry or to feel anything. I wanted to be strong and not let anyone think I was weak, you know. In prison, you've got to be strong. You don't want people to see that you are human, that you do have feelings. So I guess that's why I cried so much.

Anyhoo, I am going to close. Be good and keep your head up. Thank you for writing. (:

Mischelle