BRAVE NEW WORLD 2

It comes as no shock to me that prisoners who've served several years in prison are amazed by the radical changes they see upon re-entering society. I didn't think I'd experience anywhere near those radical changes after my release but surprisingly, I was wrong.

The very night I got home, one of the first activities on my agenda was to hit the local Rite Aid and score some Natty's! Granted, prison had lots of brewed-up hooch - not to mention a shitload of deuce (k2) and chinita (suboxone). So I could have gotten high if I were so inclined. But personally, I was not of the mind to get loaded in the joint - only to be locked into a 50 square foot cell with a bunky I didn't like. I just didn't think that would be good for my sanity.

So anyway, I scored my Natty's and upon walking to the register, came to discover that I could now check out my beer with a machine. In fact, there was but one old school cashier along with three or four machines. So I used the automated method. But guess what! The machine doesn't take cash...and I left my cards at home. And so...I embarrassed myself by needing to call for help. No big deal. But that was just the first experience on the "OMG! The world has changed while I stood still" front.

Back home, I lay down on my incredibly comfortable bed (which I had a mind to replace before I went in but now felt as if I was floating on a cloud) and caught a whiff of dirt and dust from the blanket and pillow cases. I guess 11 months of lying fallow with a window cracked to ventilate the place will do that! To the laundry room in the basement to find brand new machines which a) don't take cash and b) require a smartphone to operate! Having no phone (let alone a smart one), I had no choice but to sleep on dusty bedding. Hmm!

The next morning I arose to visit the phone store around the corner. I already had a SIM card I'd purchased before going to prison so I was ready to hit the road running. Uh huh! Ever since I knew the fed was tracking me, I'd switched to flip phones figuring I'd be harder to clock with old technology. And I still had two flip phones at home. When I inserted the SIM card, I was all set to go - or so I thought. The service was horrible!

The next day I went back to the store whereupon the salesman decided those shitty old phones were the problem - even though they'd been fine a year before. So I convinced him to give me a loaner (I really doubted what he was saying) and sure enough, he was right. The service was fine with the smart phone. So goodbye flip phones. They're now effectively museum pieces.

Next stop Key Food, where coffee got way more expensive. No matter. I'm a rich guy. I went to the normal check out machine but when it was time to pay, there was no option to pay in cash! Just a button to "seek assistance" (which kind of defeats the purpose). So I get a young black kid who points to the sign I didn't read which says "this machine does not accept cash" and comments "a lot of people miss that." To which I respond "obviously" in an apologetic fashion. Then I walked home and saw that the Sidewalk Cafe, a neighborhood fixture for decades,  is no more! 

But all was not hopelessly different. When it came to Trinity Church and the Meatloaf Kitchen, where I faithfully returned the very next day to resume my position as Volunteer of the Year (or whatever), almost nothing had changed. The staff was mostly intact and at Meatloaf, the regular volunteers remained. I'm gratified to say that all welcomed me back with open arms and absolutely no judgement.

Still, to the point. Maybe it's because you take the everyday changes in stride that they have little cumulative effect. But go away for a year and then return. You'll be amazed - as was I.