Cleaning House

It's time for me to go through the five plastic storage bins which sit in a side-by-side row under my bunk. I need to discard whatever papers, letters and old magazines I've managed to accumulate...

These papers mostly consist of outdated sermons that I wrote but never used, plus scribblings and outlines for Bible teachings or unfinished journal entries that, for one reason or another, I never completed. It's basically a collection of scrap paper and work left undone.

According to the rules, an inmate is required to make his bed each day as well as hang up his clothes and keep his living area in reasonable order. So I try to keep my 10x13' cell neat. If not, a disciplinary infraction could result. And like every cell in this prison, it is subject to periodic searches by guards.

But with only a small area to lay my possessions, it is easy to accumulate more than I need, or could use. Therefore, with this in mind, I've now begun to haul to a nearby trash receptacle whatever things I could do without. I'm shredding old letters. I'm giving away unnecessary stuff as well. And I've already lightened my load somewhat by filling up two large plastic garbage bags. Then, when I'm done with my storage containers, I'll go inside my wall locker and do the same. It's a good feeling to clean house.

D.B.