My Third Visit to Taft

I'm still trying to find the easiest way to visit Ron on a weekly basis. The 400 mile round trip needs to be broken up, so this week I drove to LA on Thursday night, overnighted at my mom's house, and left at 6:30am for Taft. It was drizzling when I left, and I was worried that if the temperature dropped too much over the Grapevine there might be snow or ice. Luckily, the temperature only got down to 40 degrees, and I arrived there at 8:45.

Ron came out smiling as usualy, ready for our 4-5 hours of nonstop talking. Someone asked me, "What can you possibly talk about for that length of time?" Since we only talk 5-6 minutes per day, there seems to be a lot to say.

Today is the end of the Ron's first month at Taft, and he is settled in. During the first few weeks there is a lot of excitement and anticipation, everything is new, and time seems to fly by. After you know the routine, know what's expected of you, learn all the rules, the trick is to continue to make the time go quickly. Ron has chosen to do that the same way I have, stay busy. So far he has joined Toastmasters, walking group and horticulture group. He is going to check out the arts and crafts program soon. He is umpiring softball on the weekends (when it isn't raining), reading and writing. Soon he will get some sort of a job, which will take up two hours a day. He's so busy during the day that he falls asleep at 9:00and sleeps soundly. He's sleeping better lately since he got a better mattress.

The sleeping quarters at Taft are very comfortable, and somewhat private. It's like a big airport hanger, with small areas partitioned off into groups of three. They are separated by 8 foot high blocks. So his small area for he and his two bunkies has one bunkbed, one single bed, three lockers, three sets of two drawers (for clothes), and a large desk with three stacking chairs. Simple, but it's home. They can decorate their lockers any way they choose. I think Ron has family photos inside and out. When you arrive, you are placed wherever there is a vacancy, but through seniority, you can move up to the more preferred locations. Right now Ron is in the section called Sleepy Hollow. Other areas are called Beverly Hills, Bel Air, and Flushing Meadows. You can guess which one is near the bathroom.

Settling in means that you have accepted where you are and will make the best of it. Not until you do this will you be able to make the experience the best it can be. As Ron says, "You have to give it up", and by this he means you have to understand that they (the institution) are in charge, you do not question why things are a certain way, they just are and you must accept it. If you do this, things will go smoothly for you. If not, and you have a bad attitude (and some do), life can be very difficult. For many of the men at Taft, most Type A personalities, this is the first time in their life they haven't been in charge. Quite an adustment. (I will talk more about how these captains of industry adjust to working menial jobs and monotonous routines another time.)

At this point Ron has much to tell me about new people he's met, extraordinary changes in himself personally and what his days are like. One immediate change I have seen in Ron is that he is much quieter than he was just a month ago. One thing you don't want to do at Taft, is stand out. You want to blend in, be part of the group, so wise cracks and jokes are not a part of his persona. I don't know if that is temporary or permanent. Only time will tell. But for now he is doing what he must to make this experience the best it can be. I'm lucky enough to get to see the weekly changes, and watch Ron transform from good man to great man.