My name in high school was Rod T. Bridges.  My buddies and I were frequently bored, living in our small East Idaho town, but it was the ‘70’s.  We had our own little gang with our own little pseudonyms.  Gas was cheap and our cars were fast.  We had one stoplight and a decent movie theatre until the local proprietor burned it to the ground and collected the insurance money – or so the story went. 

We grew up Mormon, but we still had our wild streaks.  We discovered beer and girls just like every other red-blooded American boy.  We shot at road signs and broke a few hearts, but we were mostly naïve.  Our gang of six are all now pushing sixty, at least those of us who are left.  Rick (Dicky P.) shot himself after two failed marriages.  Danny (Lanny S.) hung himself, battling homosexual demons.

Muggy just retired from thirty years of FBI service.  Lance (Vance C.) put in thirty years at the D.O.E.  David (Dana Z.) spent thirty years flying tandem paragliders in Aspen.  And I, Rod T., am nineteen years into a life sentence for premeditated murder.

Nobody could have predicted our fates.  We went our separate ways after high school.   I had to see the world and started to as a missionary in Japan.  I guess the promise of small town stability with my high-school sweetheart just didn’t appeal to me.  She married pick #2, and they are still together.  Go figure.

Too bad I can’t go back and marry Laurie.  But here I am.  Prison has taught me a lot about myself I probably wouldn’t have learned any other place.  Circumstances can make or break a person.  I’ve chosen to befriend my situation.  My incarceration has had its ups and downs, but I’m stable now.  I have a job, a newfound faith in Christ, and a stringent exercise routine – my life is a balance of these three elements.

I’ve been compelled to share my story of my lifelong struggle with obesity.  I continue to blame the ‘fat gene’, whether it exists or not.   I had to hit rock bottom mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually before finally overpowering my demon. But here’s the thing – it never ends. The demon may lie dormant for a spell, we might temporarily subdue the dragon by sheer force of will.  These battles can be won, but the war continues.  We must be ever vigilant.

I lost a monumental 114 pounds over the course of fifteen months while trapped in a 6’x9’ cell.  It happened accidentally and on purpose. I marvel still at the change which took place within me.  I still have the excess skin to serve as a reminder.  I still shudder with fear when my weight starts to creep upward.  But I overcame.  I am overcoming.  And I will continue to overcome.

Hope is my story.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR.  Mr. Briggs wrote in to a writing contest not long ago, and what was apparent from that submission was the honesty and vulnerability in his writing. He has since shared with us a book project he is working on. The above piece is the introduction to that book, and I hope we get to share the final product when it is complete. Mr. Briggs can be contacted at:

Todd R. Briggs #66972
Idaho State Correctional Center, G Block
P.O. Box 70010
Boise, Idaho 83707