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Is it possible to be blind to oneself? I feel like that is true for me. My entire life I have held an image of myself. Honest, capable, good. Yet I could be shallow but can't we all? Yet I told white lies but that didn't make me a liar when I came to prison, I believed I was one who truly didn't belong here. My crime was an isolated event amidst an awesome track record after all. After the death of my mother, my relationship with my family began deteriorating. One day, not so long ago, 5 ½ years into my prison sentence my father let me in on a secret that changed my life. These qualities that I adored in others were the very same qualities that are in me now. That was what was pushing my family away. Not some isolated event or crime, but a pattern of behavior exhibited since childhood. My immediate instinct was to turn it around on him “you were a bad father, you are selfish you are a womanizer” but he predicted that. He said my ignorance of myself was only hurting myself. That was a hard conversation to have but it opened my eyes to me. Who I am, what I am truly capable of. It inspired change. After almost 6 years in prison, I came to the realization that I didn't like who I was. The transparency is needed for change, and sometimes a willingness to open your eyes is all that is required to not be blind.

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Michelle Kemp