This blog is dedicated to parents who have or have had a child in a Juvenile Detention Center.
The Sock
August 21st, 2008 by Steve PavlinaAfter I was arrested for grand theft in my late teens, I was stuck sitting in the county jail for a few days. My cellmate was another teenager who was there for possession of marijuana. We were both rather depressed, scared, and uncertain about what fate would befall us. Jail can be a gloomy place at times. Nobody wants to be there. It’s hard to think about anything but the huge mistake that landed you there.
At some point on the second or third day, a guard came by to deliver us a change of clothes. We had to wear those orange pajama-type outfits, not our own street clothes. If I recall correctly, first we had to strip totally naked and hand in our old clothes. Then we received the new ones. They’re pretty strict about such things.
As my cellmate and I opened our fresh bundles of clothes and began getting dressed, he started laughing uproariously. I turned toward him to see what could possibly be so funny. He shot me a huge grin and held up one of the clean socks he was given. The sock was only about an inch long. It wasn’t a shrunken sock — it was just the first inch of a regular sock, only enough to cover the toes. This may be one of those “you had to be there moments,” but we looked at each other and busted up laughing. What was he supposed to do with a one-inch sock?
Even though being in jail can be a depressing experience, that small bit of silliness raised our energy tremendously. For at least the next hour, it helped us feel more lighthearted and not take the situation so seriously. Being in jail only enhanced the laughter because we had more tension to release.
This happened more than 17 years ago, and I still chuckle about it from time to time.
I was happy to find a humorous story because so many of the youth we know right now in Juvi are not laughing. They don't want to go home. They don't feel like they belong there. They hate the juvi center they are in, but they are unable to live in society yet. They are young and we pray that God will bless them to turn their lives around and become productive successful adults.
http://www.stevepavlina.com/contact-info.htm
As my cellmate and I opened our fresh bundles of clothes and began getting dressed, he started laughing uproariously. I turned toward him to see what could possibly be so funny. He shot me a huge grin and held up one of the clean socks he was given. The sock was only about an inch long. It wasn’t a shrunken sock — it was just the first inch of a regular sock, only enough to cover the toes. This may be one of those “you had to be there moments,” but we looked at each other and busted up laughing. What was he supposed to do with a one-inch sock?
Even though being in jail can be a depressing experience, that small bit of silliness raised our energy tremendously. For at least the next hour, it helped us feel more lighthearted and not take the situation so seriously. Being in jail only enhanced the laughter because we had more tension to release.
This happened more than 17 years ago, and I still chuckle about it from time to time.
I was happy to find a humorous story because so many of the youth we know right now in Juvi are not laughing. They don't want to go home. They don't feel like they belong there. They hate the juvi center they are in, but they are unable to live in society yet. They are young and we pray that God will bless them to turn their lives around and become productive successful adults.
http://www.stevepavlina.com/contact-info.htm
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