June Recap
Updates and a few mid-year musings
Hello All,
I hope this update finds you and yours well—enjoying the summer and staying cool, both literally and figuratively, in the heat of the moment. My 58th month of incarceration is in the books. Another step down the home stretch toward my exit.
Release Update
Several people have asked if I have any updates on my release timeline. The short answer: nothing concrete beyond what I previously shared in my Time to Go post. That said, there has been some news.
Since I made my original estimate, the BOP has gone back and forth several times on whether to follow the letter and spirit of the First Step and Second Chance Acts. It's so deeply ingrained in Bureau culture to try to short us on time credit that they issued two policy statements limiting credit applications—both of which were later reversed. At the end of June, we were formally informed of what I hope is the final word. The bottom line: the earliest possible conditional release date is now more likely, further confirming the soundness of the midpoint estimate I previously gave. Of course, nothing is certain, but I will be surprised if I’m still here past the end of 2025—and downright stunned if I’m not celebrating my next birthday at home in March.
This journey is coming to an end.
A Changing Tide?
There was also encouraging news in the appointment of Joshua Smith as the Deputy Director of the BOP. Smith is formerly incarcerated, a successful entrepreneur, and has helped countless returning citizens. He’s already shaking up the old guard, which is a very good thing.
Though the word “decarceration” isn’t being used, I take the appointments of Alice Johnson as Pardon Czar and Smith as clear signals. I wouldn’t be shocked to see an expansion of home confinement or a Big Beautiful Batch of Pardons coming out of the White House—either of which could favorably impact me. We shall see. In the meantime, one thing is certain: I’m ready to go whenever they call my number.
Outside Again, and Haikus Return
We were taken off lockdown at the start of the month, and liberty was in the air. That first walk back out to the track was life-giving. My haiku practice suffered while I was locked inside, but within minutes of breathing fresh air, the lines began to flow again. Walking the track is the closest we have to what the Japanese call “forest bathing”—and after two months of lockdown, I was in desperate need of a bath. A sampling:
Door flung wide open
I emerge into sunlight
Fight back tears of joyUntouched by mowers
Fescue waving in the breeze
Brings peace to my soulThe bumblebees' farm
White flowers of the clover
Limitless bountyCrickets chirp away
My presence not a hindrance
To the search for loveHues of green and blue
My emotions like colors
InnumerableTrue human nature
Found outside where the grass grows
Oneness in all things
Outdoor availability also allowed the TGA to resume sessions in the field—adding to our joy of the game. I’ve also returned to running and pickleball. Putting this out there now: once I’m home, if anyone needs a partner for golf, running, pickleball, or outdoor burpee/lunge workouts—I’m your guy (insert “call me” hand gesture here).
Books and Learning
Outdoor time, daily study of Montaigne, and more writing slowed down my reading pace a bit, but I’ve now hit 614 books read since arriving at Thomson. Favorites this month included: Hagakure, Invisible Women, Shoe Dog, The Man with the Golden Arm, and The Path of Synchronicity. I’ve got a stack left to knock out before I go and an ever-growing “To Read” list waiting for me at home.
Look for an essay on books and reading soon—it's nearly done.
Future Plans
Prep for the next chapter of my career continues. Things are getting more tangible by the week. I’m actively planning for both employment and the relaunch of GeekedOnGolf 2.0, alongside a new nonprofit initiative. I’ll share more soon, but rest assured: I intend to fully apply my strengths in communication and relationship-building to make the maximum possible impact. I don’t know what my wife and sons did with all my stuff while I’ve been gone—and that feels like a daunting mystery—but taking on big challenges and busting my ass at work? That, I’m ready for.
Gaining Perspective
Throughout June, between books and conversations, my mind wandered. A few takeaways as we enter the second half of the year.
Last summer, I spent hours in conversation with my buddy Sharod about race. We dove in deep, learning from one another without blame—just illumination. One of my wishes is that everyone could find such a partner for exploring sensitive truths. It’s a priceless gift.
While reading Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez, I had a similar moment of realization. The “default person” in everything from pharmaceuticals to public infrastructure is male. The consequences are not just inconvenient—they’re dangerous. I saw clearly how unconscious bias works and how I’ve played a role. That book stretched me.
Similar growth came from Caste, Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States, Begin Again, Chasing the Scream, Educated, Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here, The New Jim Crow, and Hillbilly Elegy. These readings lit up blind spots I didn’t know I had. I don’t beat myself up over my ignorance—that’s wasted energy. I use it to push my evolution forward.
Criado Perez said it best:
“When we exclude half of humanity from the production of knowledge, we lose out on potentially transformative insights.”
Mercy, Justice, and the Human Heart
Though I understand the criminal legal system well, I still had to steel myself to read Elizabeth Bruenig’s Witness in The Atlantic. Her reflections on executions, mercy, and justice were gutting—but necessary.
One quote from Bruenig stuck with me:
“It is hard to imagine forgiveness without mercy, but easy to imagine mercy without forgiveness.”
Mercy does not require forgetting or condoning—it is restraint in the face of power. Seneca called it “a gentleness shown by a powerful man in fixing the punishment of the weaker one.” In this way, mercy validates the value of human life—for both giver and recipient.
I think of my own worst moments. When I’ve been harmed, I’ve often lost sight of justice in favor of vengeance. Turning the other cheek feels impossible. But a wise person once told me, “With your track record, you’d be well advised to pray for mercy rather than justice.”
The New Style in Hearts
In The Man with the Golden Arm, Nelson Algren writes:
“Hearts shaped like Valentines aren’t at all in fashion... What is more in demand are hearts with a bit of iron...a claw like a hammer’s claw... better used for ripping than for tapping at old repairs...”
Algren critiques the trend of hardening ourselves in the name of “strength.” I see it in here every day. But true courage lies in keeping our hearts open. Being in relationship with others means we’ll get hurt. It also means we might grow, connect, and heal.
That’s why I keep showing up with an open heart.
Dreams and the Sideline
Surprisingly, Phil Knight—founder of Nike—affirmed this commitment for me. In Shoe Dog, he writes:
“The world was so overrun with war and pain and misery... maybe the only answer... was to find some prodigious, improbable dream that seemed worthy... and chase it with an athlete’s single-minded dedication and purpose.”
I’ve been sidelined for five years. Now I’m preparing to get back in the game—with purpose, strength, and joy.
Golf is my platform.
Impact is my mission.
The best is yet to come.
Final Thoughts
To steal a line from Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln:
“I could write shorter sermons, but once I get started, I’m too lazy to stop.”
Thanks for sticking with me—in this update and in life.
Onward we go.
Much love to you all,
Jason