sunday found me at kaleo. the music was nice, and i really found depth and value in some of the things the pastor had to say about revelations 3. afterward, while playing with some of the kids, i experienced a reminder of the fragility of human sanity. a few kids were chasing me around, having a grand time, when dietrich managed to latch onto one of the front edges of my untucked shirt, which he pulled. a split-second rapid-fire of popping pearl snaps later, my chest was laid bare. unfortunately not in the metaphorical sense, but in the much less pleasurable, very real and blindingly pale out-of-shape sense. the room went dark and closed in on me. i quickly clutched my shirt and overshirt around me and stumbled toward a wall to rebutton my shirt and collect myself, analyzing if there were any good way out of this situation. i thought this sort of thing was only supposed to happen to teens at school dances? (although this did happen in a (former) ymca gymnasium…hhmmm….)
it’s really not that i have an issue with my body, it’s that i was trying to protect everyone else. no, really! think of the children! and it’s a house of worship — i didn’t want people having to question their faith in a loving and compassionate G-d. let’s just say i’m nowhere mentally near being able to dance like david did. (and everyone should be thankful for that.)
and to think i was this close to putting a white t-shirt underneath before leaving the house. don’t be misled and dismissive like i was, there is wisdom in the ways of elders. the traditions passed down are sometimes there to protect you, not just restrain you.
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failure is not an option. it's a requirement.
I’m not sure which is funnier, the incident itself or your ability to describe it so comically. Personally, I would think the coldness of the snaps against your skin (particularly in winter) would be enough motivation to have worn an undershirt. I can still remember some 30 years later how cold that felt when I wore those western shirts!