My birthday suit is a tux

      Crystal and FF, it (posting) was/is on my list of things to do. I just didn't get to it until now. For those of you who are curious, I got 33 of the items on my list done. Yes, that sure leaves a lot. We'll see how many I get done this week.
      Work again tomorrow. I wish I could approach it with more ... well, joy might be asking for too much, but at least not as much dread. Lately I feel such reluctance to show up. Sigh. I must be having my mid-life crisis. Or something like that. Maybe it's the whole birthday thing.
      A friend (?) suggested that for my birthday, I post a picture of me in my birthday suit. She meant, she says, a picture of me when I was a baby, but there are no naked pictures of me as a baby. Sorry. And there aren't any of me as an adult ... as far as I know.
      Which reminds of one of my favorite stories. A friend of mine, the son of a minister, went to Jamaica when he was in his twenties. (Let's call him John.) He was traveling for his job. He was far from home and knew no one. Near his hotel was a clothing optional beach. After the third day, he decided to wander down there. Not to take off his clothes, of course, but just to look.
      Well, John walked down to the beach, found a place for his towel and sat down to watch. He was surprised about how natural everyone seemed to take their nudity. Finally he gathered up his courage and took off his clothes. He felt quite proud of himself. And after all, it wasn't like anyone would ever know.
      A road with a sidewalk ran alongside this beach. He had left his clothes near the steps that led down to the beach. After a while, he decided to return to the hotel. He walked up to his clothes when suddenly he heard someone ask, "John, is that you?"
      Unknown to him until that moment, his father's church had sent a mission trip down to Jamaica. Around twenty or so people who knew him quite well were walking from the local mission back to their hotel.
      He looked up to see all their shocked and staring faces. He stood there for just a moment. He turned and ran down the beach into the ocean. He says he seriously considered just letting the surf take him.
      But a while later, he returned to his hotel. By the time he got there, his father and mother had already left several messages. As he tells it, he could hear his father without the phone. His father was that loud.
      But not just young men can make questionable decisions regarding nudity.
      About ten years ago, the daughter of a man I know went down to Florida for Spring Break. Having too many beers and being pressured by friends, she stood on in the back of a truck and lifted her t-shirt to men they passed. However, CNN was down there recording the excesses of the college students. The camera focused on her a good thirty seconds. CNN broadcast the video clip the next day, blurring the naughty bits, but leaving her face crisp and clear. She would have liked it if they had blurred her face because her parents were watching CNN that night. Her father flew down immediately to get her, and she never got to go to Spring Break again while she was in college. Now the family just laughs about it, except for her mom and dad who are still pretty upset about it.
      And on that note I'm going to call it a night. Have a good night. Pleasant dreams.