Ryan Borrowman Blog posts
Well, family is amazing. I am grateful for the love and support we get from our family. I have watched in my own family as each one of my older kids, my wife, and myself have faced significant struggles that each of us has felt was insurmountable. I have felt gratitude as each painful event was and is being faced as a family, each one receiving the support they are seeking, the comfort they are yearning for, and the acceptance that they crave. In the end, I am amazed at what family does and how important it is. I love each one of my family members, I am grateful for a beautiful wife who stands by me and allows me to stand by her...through thick and thin, good and bad, rough and smooth. Family, thank you for all your beauty.
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So, this one is kind of fun for me! I have worked at the Washington County Jail for close to 10 years now as a Registered Nurse...I have seen incredible things that would blow the mind of most people who have never been inside of a jail, and know nothing of the craziness that can occur here. If I were writing a fictional book about what I thought might go on in a jail, or of what people do to be put in jail, I do not think my stories would be half as interesting or outlandish as what I see in real life.
Many people ask me about what it is like to be here, and I don't feel I can tell them most of the real stories, because #1 I don't think they will sleep any better at night :) and #2 I have actually learned to love the people that I work with, despite all their craziness. Granted, I still set very ridged boundaries and I clamp down on manipulation with ease...but I have come to see that, for the most part these are very good people who made a poor decision that cost them their freedom...One stupid teenage choice to try heroin, and now that person is struggling to stay alive after returning time and time again to a drug that they love, but also a drug they hate. I have seen genuine tears in the eyes of people who can't break the cycle of addiction and can't escape the naive choice they made. I have seen families who have no idea how to help their loved one and become heartbroken as they watch them slowly circle down and waste away a once beautiful life. I ask that people show love and support to those who are struggling with these and other issues. I have seen how love can change lives...I have seen how much these people crave to be wanted and needed. I don't think I am a better human being if I can't overcome my own biases, and then, show real love to those who have lost their freedom. I have been learning a lot lately about the importance of maintaining my own happiness. For most of my life I have been overly concerned about what people think of me. By saying overly concerned, I'm not implying that nobody else matters when I am making a choice, but I do mean that I let other peoples actions negatively affect my life...as if there actions have the power to make my day miserable. I am now seeing that I need to be sorry for the actions that are wrong that I do, but that I never need to be sorry for the wrong actions that others do to me. I can choose to be grateful for what I do have, and look for the good things that I have been blessed with, rather than get hung up in somebodies negative vibes. If I have a bad day, it is MY FAULT and my fault only. If someone cuts me off while driving, or makes rude comments to me, I should not take it personal because their actions speak of their faults, not mine. I am faced with the challenge of improving myself first. When I do something wrong I will apologize and take action to correct my actions. I cannot and should not get caught up in the negativity that others might throw at me.
This has not been easy for me, but I am seeing the positive change in my life. I have carried other peoples burdens for too long and I have been scared of what others think of me. I know that I am a good person who has made mistakes in my life. My value has not changed because of my mistakes. I have grown and become a better person because of the challenges that have been given to me. I am now seeing that even the worst days of my life can and should be something that I can be thankful for. My mistakes have put me through a training session more difficult and grueling than any course I could have paid for. And I have come out a better, stronger, and wiser person because of them. I have gained more love and understanding for others, and I have learned that there is not a person out there whose value is decreased because of mistakes they have made. I have a wonderful family that is stronger and better because of what we have faced and overcome together. I have a wife who, besides being beautiful physically, is beautiful and strong mentally and spiritually...I have so much to be grateful for... https://www.facebook.com/ryan.borrowman/videos/10207746726843501/
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