Before you ask, yes, I did sleep on the floor in front of the brightly-blazing fireplace and it was wonderfully cozy. Life is full of such moments of utter contentment to be enjoyed whenever there's a chance. Carpe noctem.
As I was lying there on the floor watching the flames' reflection dancing on the ceiling, memories came back of many similar nights spent on fire watch while camped out with the "Fahrenden Gesellen" in Germany, and the friendships made and the insights gained which lasted a lifetime.
Came first light and I, like a prisoner in Plato's cave, was reluctant to face reality. Sleeping on the floor in a cosy 78 degrees Fahrenheit is one thing, trying to get up off the floor at 78 years of age is quite another.
