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An Open Letter From Karl
Hello,
My name is Karl and I'm on Texas Death Row.
Right now there's so much I could say. I could tell you about prison life, my hobbies, my childhood, or changes I've made - but all that is past, gone, ordinary.
Everyone has hobbies, everybody has had family, or friends . . . and children suffer through childhood the best they can; most get over it sooner or later, some remain stuck their whole life - others get unstuck and find the joy in simply being alive.
That's what I want to talk to you about. You, right there, you staring at the computer screen! What are you looking for? Do you feel happy, or do you feel bored? Can you see the joy and wonder that lives in your life? Can you see the light that shines in your eyes?
Do you know what I'd do, if I were you? Well, I'd finish reading this letter (smile) and then I'd go outside, find some grass and a tree, and lay back and look up at the sky. Do you know how long it has since I felt grass? I would feel it, smell it, roll around in it - pluck some up and taste it! Then laying there, chewing these delicious thoughts about the sweetness and beauty of life, I would just look deep into the gorgeous sky.
Do you know how long it has been since I've seen the open sky? Unbroken by prison bars, undimmed by prison lights? I would lay there and just breathe in radiant waves of JOY. Listen, do you hear me? Do you hear LIFE calling you? It's whispering to the joys you have hidden inside . . . Do you hear me? Or do you already hear the excuses murmuring - it's too hot, it's too cold - there's too much rain, too much smog, too much snow!
I would not give a DAMN! =) If there's snow, I'd roll around in it like a puppy dog, getting deep into the powdery clumps of cold. I'd let it sink in, as I lay there watching the clouds shifting in the sky, lay there until I got cold deep in my bones, and then I'd get up and go inside. I'd take a nice long hot shower, maybe get a l'il something to eat, a cup of coffee (black, instant) or tea (Earl Grey, with a twist of lemon), and then I'd sit down and write you all about it. =)
You probably do not recognize the joy trapped in your own life. Write to me, and let me tell you about it. Let me tell you how I would LOVE to be stuck in rush-hour traffic, or stuck with a dead-end job and a difficult boss. You got trouble in relationships? Write an' tell me about it. You want a cure? Here's a simple one: give what you would receive, and love a little more. Any other problems you got? Be grateful for them and they're naught, not 'problems' anymore. =) Don't just read this, don't just agree with this, but LIVE this - and then write me! =)
With Love, Light and Laughter
Karl Chamberlain
December 2007
