"In the Box"

The World Cup in South Africa started today and I already watched the opening game, Mexico vs.S. Africa tied 1-1. The next game, which I have the majority of the tier watching is at 2:30 pm. One month of World Cup Soccer and I love it. I’m picking England to take the Cup.
I had early rec this morning and I almost came “out of my box.” I emphasize “almost” because I caught myself before things got too deep, but I believe I did what I had to do. I get upset with myself when I come out of character, but I can’t forget where I’m at, this is prison and sometimes people need to see that you’re not timid. I can’t really go into too much details about what happened, but let’s just say I don’t take threats too well and I had to call this fellow inmates bluff, well that’s what it turned out to be and just like in poker, I had to call him out on it.
Before I lose you, I guess I should explain “out of the box” or just “the box” in general. “The box” was created by a fellow inmate who told me no matter what comes my way in prison to stay even keel, stay in character, remain “in the box.” He said that when we remain “in the box,” your prison time will be smooth. He also went on to explain that every time we come “out of the box,” the box gets a little damaged each time, even if we get back in, the more we come out, the more wear and tear will display, eventually making “the box” useless. He told me to stay in my box and keep it sealed. I could not help but to really think about this metaphor and how accurate it was. In prison, in life, no matter where we are, we need to remain “in our box.” I’m attempting to keep “my box” in tact, it’s extremely challenging in this environment, but it’s the only way to remain in character. It’s not the conflicts that confront us in life that matter, but it’s how we respond to those conflicts. After the little episode in the yard, I prayed and asked God to give me the discipline to “stay in the box” and you know what? He knew exactly what I meant.