Day One

The first day I performed of my 492-hour Community Service trash pick up penalty was mid-July 2008 in sunny Los Angeles, Ca.. I had no idea what to expect. To be prepared, I wore long jeans and packed a backpack with food and anything I could imagine I might want to have during a long, hot day of labor. And because my driver's license had been suspended for a year, I hopped on my bike with plenty of time to spare. It was 6:00am.
Honestly, though, I believed I deserved some such punishment. I did some damage and was willing to pay the piper. But the D.A. took advantage of the Patriot Act and used my life history to throw the book at me, and my lawyer practically helped her. Maybe I'll tell his name one day.
It took a little longer to get to West Hollywood park that morning than I'd anticipated. By the time I got there I was sweaty and anxious and wired. First I wandered around in the dark looking for a place to lock up my bike. Then I wander some more looking for an office or something. There were a few figures around, some wrapped in blankets on the ground or a picnic bench, a couple walked by. Finally, I spot a guy in an orange worker vest. He must know something, I think.
But he doesn't even acknowledge me when I speak. So I just follow the sidewalk until I luck out and see the dimly lit hallway that leads me to the classroom where my community service supervisors, Raymond (supervisor) and Julio (more like crew chief) have the morning sign-in set-up. There were a couple of other crew-member guys already there. No one really acknowledged that I even walked in the room, so I present my court papers and i.d. to one of the guys sitting at the table.
This guy is Raymond. He asks me to read and sign a contract. After asking me to remove my earbuds, he informs me that absolutely no use of iPods or cell phones will be tolerated and doing so will result in being dismissed.
After signing in and learning that there is no secure place to store my backpack and I'd be carrying it with me all day, I smiled, turned and walked back into the dawn, following in the direction that the rest of the people were heading.

And here's something 'bout me: I believe in a Higher Power and occasionally pray, or at least say "HI".
That morning, I was praying.