Tomorrow I’m free

Yes finally I will be free of shackles, this has been the most arduous 30 days in my life. I have to behave to avoid further punishment in December.

Well I had to sign the agreement below, so I could be back in shackles at any time if I do anything wrong or even if my wife desires me to be shackled or handcuffed.

The sight of the electric drill and my drill bits tomorrow is going to be sight for sore eyes believe me.

The only worry I have and I’ve been mulling over, is the prison stay at the end of January as it is shrouded in secrecy as the what’s happening.

Summary of what it’s been like for me shackled:

1. The weight, you always know they are there. you sometimes think you have forgotten about them but you haven’t, you are just fooling yourself and hoping they are not there.
2. Length of chain, reduced length of stride, you have to get used to short strides otherwise it’s pretty uncomfortable when the chain pulls tight.
3. Changing cloths, very difficult and you cannot wear all types of clothing as you cannot get certain cloths between your legs and the shackles.
4. Noisy, whenever you move they jingle and this can be quite annoying.
5. Showering and bathing, really hard to get into the tub due to the short chain between your ankles.
6. Sleeping, can be really uncomfortable. The chain gets cold and when it touches your leg it a bit of a shock, also the chain snags or gets around your toes. I don’t think I had a single night where I didn’t wake up.
7. Painful, At times especially at the start, lots of bruising occurred until I get the ankle pads right.
8. Prisoner, yes you are a housebound prisoner and unable to just pop out at will.

If anyone want to try this themselves, my advice is to stay with your original planned time, but start with maybe 3 days then work up from there. Make sure any tools to remove them are not accessible. Break through the restriction and pain barriers (they do exist in the early days). Try to relax and don’t keep looking at them or fiddling with them as you will become distraught. Use ankle pads to keep them off the ankle bone as this is where the discomfort and bruising generally occurs. Stay strong and positive.