A History of Shenanigans

When I think back, I’ve been in and out of nudism for much of my life. I just didn’t really realize it at the time. If I even recognized being naked as a desire I never acted on it regularly. Instead, I had years of experiences that I would consider “glancing blows.” In other words, an opportunity might present itself for me to bare myself, then afterwards not much of anything for who knows how long. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was some guilt during some of those times, too. After all, there was no public sharing of information in those days other than magazines, newspapers, and television. All literature about nudism was grouped together on the same magazine stands as the filth and smut of the same era. It was hidden from mainstream society just like the nudists themselves were. I had no idea how non-mainstream my thoughts were, or how normal or not. For all I knew I was on my way to being a serial rapist or something. Without any Internet who the hell was I going to learn anything from?

Living in Algona as a young boy provided me with many opportunities to take my clothes off outdoors. In the summer, all we boys wore was cutoff shorts and maybe tennis shoes anyway, so when the urge hit, it was easy to bare myself. I can remember times I would be riding the old interurban road (long ago made into a paved legal recreational trail) on my bicycle and I'd stop and take my shorts off and ride a ways, enjoying the feeling of sun on my body. I've always been the type of guy that wanted to be off on my own, and that desire afforded me lots of times when I would just disrobe and flaunt myself to the sun and sky.

Even as an adolescent I didn’t really dwell on trying finding times I could be naked. It still hadn’t become a "hobby" if you will--it was something that just happened at the right time and place. For example, when I was in high school and would stay home sick I would enjoy being the only one home. I reveled in being able to wander naked all over the house in the nude. I never really knew about nudism--I was just being naughty and having fun! It’s not like I tried to stay home sick as often as I could because of it. As an adolescent, my life was going enough changes that probably failed to recognize that I had leanings in the direction of nudism.

Many, many times through adulthood these same types of shenanigans have repeated themselves. I might be driving somewhere and be overcome by the desire to park and wander in the nude. Maybe was still partly naughty, but I think I mostly just enjoyed the feeling of that sunlight warming me, along with the feeling of breezes flowing between my legs. I've often said I was solar-powered after all! Other times I have driven nude when the notion hit me. One time I drove that way from Bakersfield to Sacramento just because I could. I guess there has always been an off/on desire to be nude that never really got a chance to manifest itself until well into adulthood.

But that's all water under the bridge. Here we are.