stevenchristopher

I spent quite a few Fourths of July in prison. One in particular was spent at the Metropolitan Detention Center-Brooklyn, a federal detention facility right on the waterfront in Brooklyn. By standing on a couple plastic crates stacked one upon the other, one could see up over the recreation-deck wall out to the water, with the Statue of Liberty beckoning in the distance. The irony of this wasn’t lost on me, and I often thought of what a provocative image it would make for a short story or something. Anyway, I got see the Fourth of July fireworks one year from that rec-deck–quite a panorama, the NYC waterfront, breathtaking fireworks display, ol’ Lady Liberty.

There were a few times where the position of my cell or the prison it was in gave me glimpses of fireworks displays, and it always seemed like a gift from the Universe, being able to see those explosions of color from the confines of a prison cell.

So this past weekend, it was a glory to stand in the drizzling rain and watch a tremendous display over Lake Champlain. So meaningful and steeped in symbolism for me. To actually be free on Independence Day! Free not only in body, but in Spirit.

Alcoholism and addiction, when active, are pretty much the absence of freedom. A person like me has no choice once he or she puts a drink or drug in my body; all thoughts and actions pretty much feed into the “getting and using and finding ways and means to get more” drugs.

That’s was I was mindful of out in the rain this July 4th–how precious freedom is. How there are so many different levels of it. How I’ll never voluntarily sacrifice mine again.