He never slept for more than eight hours. Even in the forest in a sleeping bag in a pop up tent, he found himself waking before the first light of a new day had found the forest floor. For a few lazy minutes, he lay listening to the chorus of bird song that filled the air. Yawning and stretching to his heart’s content, he relished being able to take his time getting out of bed. That in itself was a pleasant change to his usual working-day routine before he’d lost his job.
It was his bladder that finally forced him to get up. He crawled reluctantly to the front of the tent, undid the zipper, and stepped out into the forest. He relieved himself on a nearby tree, then returned to the tent for a breakfast that included no more than a protein bar, an apple, and a mandarin. By the time the sun
