While she was teaching an afternoon class, I went for a walk to a small park about a half-hour from our place. It’s a Friday afternoon and I was surprised that the park appeared to be abandoned. All the other parks we have visited were always busy with people. This park didn’t look as well taken care of as the others either. Seeing a few small paths through bushy garden areas, I did the unthinkable. I got naked outdoors in a large Chinese city.
I took images in three different locations and then hastily got my clothes back on. Public nudity? In China? I knew that this was an irrational act on my part. I also knew that I wasn’t going to be seen, but that really isn’t the point. I mean, I have never even been nude in Canada in a public space. Nudity on wild prairie hills, far from any town or city, is one thing, but this was something else. Needless to say, now that it is done and I am back in the apartment waiting for my wife to come home, I have time to wonder about why I took the risk.
I have to admit that there was a rush, a quickening of my pulse when I stripped off to take this photo. Was I wanting to get caught and have China deal with me? If so, why? If not, why did I even think of it? I mean, I wouldn’t do this at home in Canada. Questions that have no answers. What I do know is that there arw some unconscious impulses that are being acted upon. The veil between the unconscious contents and my ego is very thin. I will have to be very careful in the future. The last thing I want to do is to ruin our reputation here in China and have to leave in shame.