defy the odds

Went back to prison on Thursday to see some of my guys graduate. It blows my mind how easy it is to relate to each other, and touches my heart that they remembered me after seven months. It was like seeing old friends, one of whom even gave me a bottle of the sauce he made, that we'd talked about last time. I brought a law school friend, and he was really amazed by the experience. I thought it was a happy, lighthearted visit, comparatively speaking, but my dreams that night made me continue some of the mental and emotional exercises, and it ended up being both heavy and illuminating after the fact.