This section of the OPEEP newsletter, called “A Day in the Life,” is a space to share about the daily lives of students at the Ohio Reformatory for Women who are enrolled in the bachelor’s degree in Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies, or who participate in Liberation at the Margins Collective (LAM Collective); some students do both. Our goal with the series is to demystify the everyday lives of incarcerated people and the spaces of prison. We believe that it is everyone’s responsibility to learn more about prisons and the people they house so that we can work against the harmful stereotypes that buttress our country’s carceral state and logics. So thank you for reading and sharing in this work!
Each contribution is written and shared by the student directly. There is some light editing for clarity and space. Email us at opeep@osu.edu or DM @opeep_osu if you’d like us to share your thoughts on this series.
My grandmother always used to tell me that an idle mind is the devil’s playground, and she would always encourage me to stay busy. So as soon as I graduated from high school, I got a job. Whenever I got a job, I always had another job lined up. When I got off work, I made it my business to find something else to do: cooking, cleaning, shopping, entertaining. I always found something to keep me busy. I never really took time to rest. When my grandmother passed away, I especially needed to occupy my time. I rarely took naps or gave myself days for self-care, even when I was dog tired.
Last semester, we learned about rest as resistance in my Gender, Sex and Power class with Dr. Sierra Austin-King. From the readings, I learned that it’s okay to take a break, and how something as simple as a nap can push back against capitalism and white supremacy. We are taught and programmed to work, work, work - to grind. We are also programmed that if we stop and take a break then we’ll become homeless and hungry. This makes you believe that there is not enough of everything. But in order to tap in with our bodies, minds, and spirits, we must take the time for self-care.
I realized that I was exhausted, and that I didn’t want to enroll in summer classes. I had recently had a death in the family that shook me to the core and caused a ripple effect in my life at home. I knew I would not be able to give my all for the new semester. So, on the very last day to be able to opt out for summer classes, I was wavering on whether or not I should take summer classes. That day, we just happened to learn about rest as resistance, and it all came together. It made so much sense to me, and I told the OPEEP staff that I was not enrolling in classes this summer.
Since then, I’ve been taking more naps than I ever thought possible. I tap into myself and mediate, and you know what? It feels damn good! I felt guilty at first, but why? Maybe because I had always been taught that I should be doing something at all times. But the reality is – I DON’T HAVE TO! And I am NOT sorry about it. IT’S OKAY TO NOT DOA DAMN THING!
Autumn semester will be here soon, and I will be ready – well-equipped and well-rested! By then, I will have trained myself to be able to get rest throughout the semester, which will help me tap into myself. This will help me stay focused on what possibilities lie ahead.
