Going without

The Bible relates that after Eve ate the forbidden apple, she became selfconscious of her nudity and covered herself with a fig leaf. And to this day most of us would feel uncomfortable outside the privacy of our homes without clothing on.

I had an interesting conversation with my massage therapist yesterday about this very subject. For the past 25 years he has gone to a camp in Pennsylvania for gay men where they wear no clothes. For a week several hundred men have no reason to compare their summer wardrobe because there is none.

I asked him how he felt the first time he attended the camp. He said after about 10 minutes, it seemed perfectly natural. He did note that it is somewhat humorous to observe the aging phenomenon.

I surmised that one would go through a lot more sunscreen this way, covering areas that never otherwise see the light of day. He said he doesn’t use any, but his cabin mates use a lot of it.

I tried to picture what it might be like to go through a day’s activities without clothes. There would be no pockets in which to put things. Would you wear an apron to cook? What about hiking -- backpack or just carry what you might need? I’m assuming that shoes don’t count as clothes. There would definitely be some adjustments.

I can imagine that swimming without the hindrance of a bathing suit would be lovely. As would lying in a hammock enjoying a light breeze.

I can imagine that many of those guys are sad when the week is over and they have to embrace cotton and spandex and elastic once again.

Could you be an occasional nudist?