Sunday, June 6, 2010

Full Frontal Reminiscence

Summertime inevitably brings back memories of youth, of the long carefree season where the usual rules didn't apply: no waking up to the clang of an alarm clock, no evenings spent toiling over homework, no … clothes. Back when air conditioning was something we enjoyed only on rare shopping trips, and our family's nearest neighbors were half a mile away, summer was a clothing-optional kind of time at our house. Accordingly, my younger sister, cousin and I switched our TV-inspired role-playing games from "Star Trek" to "Tarzan" in honor of the season's less-restrictive costume requirements.

That all changed the summer of my tenth year, however. Precocious in all things, I got a jump-start on puberty as well, and during one afternoon of topless tree-climbing I came to the poignant realization that I really couldn't play Tarzan with these new bubbies that had inconveniently attached themselves to my upper torso. I left the game, went in the house to find something to cover up with, and spent the hours until suppertime sitting on the kitchen stoop reading a Bobbsey Twins book.

It wasn't parental pressure or any sort of moral brainwashing that made me suddenly modest. I guess I just felt uncomfortable in my new body, and was reluctantly aware that other things would change, too. While garments may not have been compulsory, growing up was. Or at least I believed so then.

Nowadays I indulge in the occasional sauna, hanging out, so to speak, with my friends, in the pretext that I'm doing something for my health. In reality though, I'm just being a naked kid again.

(Edited & Reposted from JS 7/29/05)

14 comments:

  1. I've been a clothing optional kind of guy for a long time, but I have no friends to "hang out" with :-)

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  2. If you ever come to Bubbaville I'll make sure you have friends to hang out with :-)

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  3. Not to sure I want it to 'hang out' with some of my friends. So to speak.

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  4. Punch, if they're friends it shouldn't matter. (see, I'm being nice and not mentioning anything about the teeth in your ... nevermind.)

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  5. don't listen to them, intelli, they are jealous.

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  6. Skinny dipping used to be one of my favorite things. I no longer indulge because I'm fair skinned and burn easily, but more so out of respect for my fellow man. You see, the last thing I would want to see is me naked.

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  7. Punch, I was gonna say that I wouldn't be sure about wanting it to "hang out" with some of your friends, either ;-)

    Mr. C, you are sooooo wrong there. If we only let the "perfect" people run around nekkid, that just perpetuates the myth that there's something wrong with being imperfect. Let it all hang out. Or over. Or under. It's all good.

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  8. Whoa, whoa, hold it. You were over at my place this very a.m. admonishing these same double entendre people about pushing the pecker envelope...then you entice us over here with frontalness thingys, and hanging out, and over and under and nakkid shameless non-perfection, and other wanton librul goings on. Que pasa mama?

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  9. J -- Admonishing? Moi? I was merely expressing an opinion. And there's nothing wrong with nekkid. I bet you were nekkid at least once in the past 10 years....

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  10. Twice...and I am not going to elaborate as to the results.

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  11. I believe we can deduce as to the results ourselves. You're married and a father.

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  12. Actually C, I was referring to the arrests. So much for deducing.

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  13. There's a not particularly remarkable film -- although it's weirdly more likable than the premise would ever lead you to believe -- called Failure to Launch. Really not a good film, but with oddly endearing secondary characters. Including one played by Terry Bradshaw (yup, football dude) who, upon being discovered starkers in a room in his house replies:

    "It's my Naked Room, what do you expect? Everywhere I go I'm expected to wear clothes. Usually uncomfortable ones. Here I get to be Naked. It's my Naked Room."

    (Yup, paraphrased the bejeebers out of that)

    We'd all be happier if we each had a Naked Room.

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  14. Shimp - If I had a Naked Room and comfortable clothes, I wouldn't have to ask for much else.

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