"the most beautiful place"

written from experience.

“ The Most Beautiful Place “.

Mountains are beautiful with snow caps and autumn leaves that parachute down in a spiral motion from their organ of tree, winding gravel roads shadowed by the virgin forest that towers on either side like natures guide markers, the birds, the sky, the sunset and sunrise are all beautiful but I argue that the magnitude of such views of beauty can only be valued by its beholder, thus I ask the question, what does one have to go threw to open up the senses of gratitude and appreciation in order to value the surroundings in which one has been so richly blessed to relish in and enjoy. Enter the department of corrections D.O.C. #372474

Most would not see the beauty in this, most would complain of the loneness and the destitute. The smell of commercial grade bleach sanitizer that knocks you down as you come into contact with the bacterial killing agent. The early morning roll calls. The tasteless food, or the authoritative bullying by the disciplinary. The sweat drenched heavy cotton jumpsuits that increased in weight as the work day progressed by way of the sun beating merciless down on the guilty. Not to mention the farm raised hand -picked and self - harvested mustard greens that one would often find a stink bug cooked into the batch from lack of cleaning before being prepared. The cinder block walls and sweltering nights that couldn’t disrupt the sleep from the tired depleted bodies that rested until the next wake up call. Yes, I would think that most would not see the beauty in this ratchet environment, but I did.

Sometimes the places that are not meant to be pleasant by no stretch of the imagination can uncover a beautiful state of mind. A place of awareness that otherwise may have been undiscovered or unreachable, only obtainable threw the most unlikely and dismal of places and experiences. In my case it was supposed to be a punishing correction that resulted in an awakening of appreciation if you will. Had it not been for the opposite of freedom I would most certainly not have experienced an enhanced form of it and that is why the D.O.C. is the most beautiful place I’ve ever been in. ---Samuel Robert Sands. 96428. Deville, louisiana