Finding Joy The Power of Pets
Setting Priorities
Comfort Foods
Idaho State Resources
In This Issue Finding Joy May 2020 Letter from the Executive Director
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Word of the Month
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Idaho State Resources
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Setting Priorities
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The Power of Pets
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Comfort Food
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Letter from the Executive Director We all know what joy feels like: an unexpected belly laugh, watching your loved ones thrive, being released from incarceration. Joy isn’t hard to find – you can find it in a child’s laugh, your favorite food, or a fond memory. But, the definition of joy was hard to reign in According to Merriam-Webster, joy is “the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires.” As you know well-being, success, and good fortune means different things to different people. So we decided to write an article about identifying your priorities. Once you identify your priorities, you can start to pin down what gives you joy. For many of us, our pets give us joy. Animals are oblivious to modern life, and that innocence is refreshing to some people -- those animals don’t even have to be our pets! We ended the issue with comfort food, because joy is right there in the name. Thanks Isabella for giving us tips on making some of our comfort foods healthier! We hope you enjoy this issue. Sincerely, Porche Proffit
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Masthead and Contributors Editor-in-Chief, Porche Proffit Editor, Ericka Foster
Contributors Contributing Editor, Lakia Goodman Writer, Maggie Allen Nutrition and dietician Isabella Dos Santos Art Director, Willow Wood Positive Transitioning Inc. is a non–profit organization that provides information and resources for individuals reentering the community after incarceration. In addition to this magazine, Positive Transitioning Inc. offers a 24-hour Resource/Listening Line that services all 50 states. The Resource/Listening line is staffed by life coaches, and provides individuals with the immediate support and resources they may be needed during reentry. Positive Transitioning Inc. also provides individuals life coaches that will assist them in every step of the reentry process: housing, education, employment, vocational training, obtaining government benefits, veteran assistance, medical management, sponsorship, financial stability, family reintegration, and legal assisting. Currently Positive Transitioning Inc. is entirely web–based as we are hoping that this makes it easily accessible for anyone to access from anywhere.
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Word of the Month pri or i ty
something given or meriting attention before competing alternatives “Our life is the sum total of all the decisions we make every day, and those decisions are determined by our priorities.” ~ Myles Munroe
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Idaho State Services Idaho Diocesan Catholic Prison Ministry (IDCPM) catholicidaho.org/222 The mission of the Diocesan Prison Ministry is to promote Christ’s love and forgiveness through assistance, education, and social interaction to the incarcerated. This ministry also extends to the families of the incarcerated and by helping those returning from prison to reintegrate back into society and become productive citizens successfully. East Boise Community Reentry Center idoc.idaho.gov/content/locations/community_reentry_centers/east_boise The East Boise Community Reentry Center (ESBCRC) is an all-female facility, housing more than 100 beds. It offers treatment programs, support groups, community service, community-based employment, and other options for exinmates. IMSI Hope Community Phase II imsihopecommunityphaseii.com/about-us/ The goal of IMSI Hope Community Phase II is to link resources, offenders and community through faith and the concept of community for the purpose of helping and supporting each other to build faith and develop a stronger sense of community.
National Resources American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) aclu.org/issues/prisoners-rights Prisoners’ rights to read, write, speak, practice their religion, and communicate with the outside world are often curtailed far beyond what is necessary for institutional security. Not only are these activities central to the ability of prisoners to retain their humanity, but they also contribute to the flow of information between prisons and the outside world and thus provide a vital form of oversight of these closed institutions. CareerOneStop careeronestop.org/Site/american-job-center.aspx
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Located across the country, American Job Centers can help you look for work and offer job search workshops, free computer access, and more. National Alliance on Mental Illness nami.org/ The purpose of NAMI Alabama is to provide support, education, and advocacy for persons with mental illnesses, their families, and others whose lives are affected mental health disorders. National HIRE Network hirenetwork.org The goal of the National H.I.R.E. Network is to increase the number and quality of job opportunities available to people with criminal records by changing public policies, employment practices and public opinion. National Reentry Resource Center (NRRC) nrrc.csgjusticecenter.org Funded and administered by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), the National Reentry Resource Center (NRRC) is the nation’s primary source of information and guidance in reentry. U.S. Veterans Administration va.gov/ABOUT_VA/index.asp Most veterans who are in jail or prison will eventually reenter the community. VA’s HCRV program is designed to promote success and prevent homelessness among Veterans returning home after incarceration.
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Setting Your Priorities By Ericka Foster
Joy is different for everyone, so I can’t write a a how-to on adding more joy to your life. I wish I could just say eat more ice cream cones, watch a certain TV show, or have a certain mean. But I can tell you how I became to find joy in my life. In 2008, I was laid off, and quickly realized that if I couldn’t figure out how to find joy – particularly the cheap kind, the anxiety of uncertainty would eat me alive. It clicked for me when I set my life’s priorities using a life wheel. I’m hoping that once you identify your priorities, you get more joy out of your life. For example: When you have $10, habitually, you may go to the store and purchase a candy bar and an energy drink. Certainly there is joy in sugar and wakefulness. But after you identify your priorities, you may decide you want to spend the $10 on something that you care more about – like a stuffed animal for your favorite person. First, draw a circle and divide the wheel into the categories: Finance
Family
Friends
Spirituality
Health
Career
Contribution
Romance
Then, draw five circles within the largest circle. You will use the inner circles to rank where you think you are in your life. You can find a template at www.mindtools.com This is your circle It’s based on your perception, so there is no right or wrong answer to do this. Additionally, you can make the categories your own. For example, Family and Friends can be one category. Or, if you have a hobby, you can make that
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one of your categories. You really have the flexibility to make the circle representative of your life. As you rate the categories (with one being less important and 10 being most important) and connect the dots, you’re going to end with a funky version of a circle. The tens will tell you where your priorities lie. If you rate your health as a 10, you might decide to trade in that candy bar and energy drink for a nap and an apple. No judgement. This wheel is about lining up your actions with your priorities based on the idea that the things that are important to you will bring you joy. I wish I could guarantee that once you identify health as your goal, you’ll find joy in salad. But, you will find joy in taking care of yourself. It is important to note that these priorities are fluid. There will be times where earning money is more important than having fun. But there will be other times when we need to put loved ones ahead of work. Creating joy My favorite part about this exercise is that once you identify what your priorities are, unimportant things start to fall away. You have a kind of framework for making decisions that feel good. I used the wheel of life when I got serious about my budget and became more thoughtful about how I spent my money. It also works great with time management. It becomes much easier to say no to things that aren’t worth it to you, or don’t fit into your priorities. Joy is especially important when you’re in survival mode. Clearing away the clutter of things that aren’t important is the first step.
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The Power of Pets By Maggie Allen
In times of stress and sadness, what cheers people up? It can be hard to pull yourself out of a funk, but if the view counts on YouTube are anything to go by, watching pets is a good place to start. It’s a known fact that animals can make us smile, but many people don’t realize that there are health benefits to keeping them as well. According to the CDC, people who own pets tend to have decreased blood pressure, cholesterol, and feelings of loneliness, but report increased opportunities for exercise, outdoor activities, and socialization. This has been shown across many demographics, but especially those who are older, more isolated, or struggling with mental health. Bonding with an animal can also offer a greater sense of purpose, because even the most well-behaved pets need a lot of care and attention. Pets of all kinds are waiting in shelters or foster homes, all vying against each other for the chance to be adopted into a loving home. I have adopted two skittish cats from shelters in my area, because their shyness was making it harder for them to be noticed. I had the feeling that their true personalities would shine through in time, with their own space to feel comfortable and safe. Seeing them warm up to me since then has been so rewarding. One of them has even proven to be a serial cuddler, something I never knew a cat could actually enjoy. Pets provide a sense of unconditional love and support that might feel lacking in other relationships, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have to be earned. Like people, some animals had rough starts in life, being abandoned, neglected, or mistreated. Forming a connection might be gradual, way slower than you would like. But giving them another chance can be rehabilitative for more than just the pet. Prison programs are a great example. The Florida Department of Corrections is utilizing a Teaching Animals and Inmates Life Skills (TAILS) program, pairing at-risk dogs with institutionalized men. Most of these dogs were seized from dog-fighting, abusive or hoarding environments, or were otherwise awaiting euthanasia. Both the dogs and prisoners are screened for serious behavioral problems or offenses before they can enter the
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program. Once there, the men assist with training the dogs, and in the process, get to interact and play with them. Many prisoners see themselves in these dogs, and can provide them with the second chance that they themselves might have felt denied. The inmates can tangibly feel that it makes a difference. One-on-one attention and training does wonders for the animals. Canine aggression and behavior expert Jim Crosby tells a story of a Pit bull named Cuddles, who was seized as part of a dog-fighting arrest in Canada, but was then deemed too dangerous to be placed in a home. “Cuddles, who had the full battle scars of a dog that had experienced the viciousness of a fighting ring, went to rehab training before she was entered into the TAILS program where she graduated with top honors and earned a Canine Good Citizen title”, Crosby said. “She is now an emotional support dog for a 73-year-old retired firefighter and veteran living in Cornwall, New Jersey, while six of the other dogs who were once sentenced to death now work with law enforcement throughout Florida as detector dogs for bombs and drugs,” Crosby said. There are similar programs for cats as well. In 2015, the Animal Protection League (APL) started the F.O.R.W.A.R.D. program in Indiana’s Pendleton Correctional Facility. The initiative was to take cats from a shelter and place them in the correctional facility. Inmates could learn how to take care of them, while the cats would become more social and trusting towards humans. In many cases, the effect was twofold. “I’ve had offenders tell me when they got an animal, it was the first time they can remember they were allowing themselves to care about something, to love something,” said the director of APL, Maleah Stringer. Prisons across the United States have instituted programs that pair inmates with animals in need. One of the oldest prison pet programs in the U.S., beginning in 1981, is the Prison Pet Partnership Program, at the Washington State Corrections Center for Women. A collaboration between Washington State University, Tacoma Community College, and Dominican nun Sister Pauline, the program trains inmates to raise puppies and socialize them for service to disabled people. Dogs that can’t succeed at service training are taught obedience and offered up for public adoption instead. Right from the beginning, the program reduced the rate of recidivism among inmates who participated for at least two years. It also serves as vocational training, allowing inmates to earn certification in pet training and grooming.
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There are programs for dogs and cats, but what about one for horses? In order to stabilize the growing numbers of America’s wild horses, the federal Bureau of Land Management is adopting them out, working with the Arizona Department of Corrections and Colorado Correctional Industries on the Wild Horse Inmate Program (WHIP). Professional horse trainers supervise and instruct inmates in gentling and training horses, which then become available for adoption after they’ve completed the program. What about even less traditional pets? Inmates at the Norfolk County Jail in Dedham, Massachusetts, work with birds, raccoons, foxes, and other animals in need at the New England Wildlife Center in Weymouth. The program, launched in 2014 by Sheriff Michael Bellotti, allows inmates to help care for sick and injured animals. This helps them cultivate stronger compassion, and a respect for nature as a whole. If you are out of prison, but you absolutely cannot own a pet right now, fear not! There are opportunities everywhere to be around animals. You could volunteer at a shelter or humane society, cleaning up after cats or dogs and helping them socialize with people. In a similar vein, volunteer at a zoo, sanctuary, or petting farm, where the workers teach visitors about traditional and exotic animals. There are also animal conservationist groups, with opportunities to go abroad and do some good for the global effort. You could also apply to become a pet sitter or dog walker, depending on your exact criminal history. If that doesn’t work out, offer to help friends and family with their pets. At the end of the day, bonding with animals can mean many things. Some will be excitable, or cuddly, while others are more aloof, content to keep you company nearby. Their personalities are extremely varied, and you should always do your research on species and breeds, finding the ones that suit you and your lifestyle best. They can be expensive to keep, especially if their behavioral or medical issues need ongoing treatment. But with that said, companion animals can do wonders for the humans in their lives. Loving them, and being loved by them, can heal and grow you in ways that you don’t expect. My cats tend to exasperate me. I wish they would leave my furniture alone, and stop knocking things over when they wrestle and chase each other. But I have yet to have a day where I don’t feel loved and needed by them, and when I am feeling my absolutely lowest, they always seem to know and step in. On my face. Yes, literally, they will try to walk on my face. But it’s the thought behind it that really counts.
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How to Enjoy Comfort Food? By Isabella dos Santos When we talk about comfort food, we refer to those foods or dishes that may provide us an emotional or sentimental value. Maybe because it reminds us of our hometown, our childhood, our culture or a specific moment in our life. Each country or culture has its own comfort food: apple pie, mac & cheese, fried chicken, or biscuits and gravy are common United States staple comfort foods. What do they all (usually) have in common? They tend to be very high in calories, carbs, fats, and therefore are usually considered unhealthy. Many fitness “gurus” have just told us that we have to leave behind all these types of foods if we want to succeed in our lose-weight/eating-healthy journey, and that is simply not true. In many cases, our efforts to lose and maintain weight are damaged by restrictive diets where our comfort food cannot be included. I propose you two ways to enjoy your favorite comfort food: The first one would be to make a little twist in some recipes, such as using less fat in your preparation (which can drastically reduce the calories of the dish) or putting less sugar or sweetening with fruits (such as ripe bananas). Though I do not recommend overdoing non-caloric sweeteners, such as Splenda or stevia, they may be handy for some dessert recipes. You may find many “twisted” recipes in the internet which are also very useful. Use them, but just be sure to not end up cooking with weird ingredients. Keep it as real as possible. Second, if your plan is to order food, be conscious of not overeating. Sometimes restaurant portions tend to be big, and you may end up eating more than you usually would. When you receive the food, split the portion in half. Eat it and enjoy every bite. If you are still a bit hungry, maybe eating some veggies or fruit may fill you up. If you really (really) want more, OK, go ahead. If not, put it aside and enjoy it later in the day or the next day. There is no reason to suffer and feel guilt for what we eat. Trying to find the balance so that most of your food is healthy and comforting is not easy, and it greatly differs from person to person. Go ahead and think where you can improve your diet. Simple changes such as less processed food and more fresh produce is a long way. Using less salt and fats by swapping them for more natural spices is a go. Do not believe everything “gurus” tell us on the internet and social media: going back to basics, such as eating real food, establishing times to eat and enjoy meals with our people are part of the comfort that food can evoke for us.
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Final Thoughts
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Fried chicken is my comfort food! I wanted to create this issue on joy because, well, adulting is hard. I realized that we want these moments of joy, but so so much of life is about getting to those moments of joy – building the relationships, working for the money, working for the vacation time, waiting in traffic! If we sit around and wait for those monumental moments of joy – like babies, weddings, promotions, etc. , we miss out on those small beautiful things. We need to pay attention to the person who lets us into traffic, the puppy that doesn’t judge you, a free meal. Because it is really those small moments that get us through.
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We would like to thank our partners
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