You Do Not *Feel* Like It ?!!

Prison.

Clap Clap.
Prison. Clap Clap. Prison in the morning, Prison in the Noontime. Prison. Clap Clap. Prison. Clap Clap. Prison the whole day long.

Now usually this song is sung {sing sang sung} with "Jesus" instead of "prison", but whenever I speak to my friend Unzell, this version of that song pops into my head. It's always right at the moment where I automatically say, "Hi! How are you?" I hear how stupid it sounds as I say it, and I resolve to say something different next time, but next time comes and I invariably blurt out that same trite thing AGAIN. Grr. I hate trite, and I hate admitting that I am just as enslaved to accidental triteness as anyone.

So we are talking today and I am telling him about my progress in losing weight and being healthier. I said that it is not enough to want it and feel motivated today. I have 80 or so pounds to go, and then I want to stay healthy after that, so one little bit of enthusiasm is not enough. It has to be a committment.

He laughed in recognition. He is in a wheelchair, in prison, paralyzed from the waist down. He said that for him, staying strong is a necessity because otherwise he can't get around, and needs to be able to get around by himself without any reliance on anyone else, not just for health but for *safety*. I try not to let my imagination get specific about what he means by safety, but I think I get it. So he'll be in the gym working out and some other guy will come in and say, 'man, I'm really not feelin' it today.' And he'll say, 'What the heck are you talkin' about? Not feelin' it. Please. Just do it. Get to work or get out of the gym. If you want your body to look like mine you got some Work to do. Not feelin' it!'

He chuckles.

'Don't ever let your feelin's stand in the way of gettin' what you want. You can work out your feelin's any way you like, but just don't let 'em get in the way.'

You preach it Unzell. I am listening. Listening and changing my ways.

Prison's not a cakewalk, y'all. Don't believe what you read in the papers. Go see for yourself.