> The Communists took a siesta for two hours every afternoon which was a good deal for us as we were free from torture and harassment. I was laying on the floor on my bed board and Doug was skipping, yes, skipping around the room.

My mental state also reacts to stress with unreasonable cheerfulness, at times. It has something to do with the joy of all the new problems and opportunities paired with an appreciation/confidence that I am not going to die imminently (he was put in a cell where they kept long-term prisoners), in the face of it...a type of relief. Having survived multiple events where my survival was in serious question, I am a consummate pessimist with an expectation that I can die at any time. Therein lies a freedom.

Skip if you can. Live. I get it.