Hi ho, it’s off to work I go.
As someone who still needs to work to pay the mortgage and to fund the craft beer/coffee habit that I have developed, there are a couple of things that I am exceedingly grateful for.
I am lucky to have a largely autonomous job where I get to work from home. I do have to travel a lot throughout New Zealand, although my employer covers all the costs associated with that travel.
When I am working from home, unless there is a Zoom call, I can work naked all year round, inside in the colder months, and outside in the garden during warmer months.
Like most employers, I guess, when I am visiting clients face to face, my employer's generosity does not extend to my preferred dress code, and I am obliged to dress. Sometimes in High-Viz and safety gear when visiting industrial sites, and sometimes in full-length fire retardant overalls when visiting an electrical switch room or switch yard. The rest of the time, I can get away with a collared polo shirt and work trousers, or shorts in the height of summer.
I am one of those people who hates long-sleeved shirts all year round. If I have to wear a shirt, I will always opt for short sleeves. I am happy to wear a long-sleeved jersey or a jacket over the top, but I am not really comfortable with long sleeves at any time of year.
I am not sure what the reason is, but it might have something to do with the way the cuffs catch on keyboards and workbooks, especially in the limited space of the cabin of my mobile office.
It could be, that as I have spent more and more time without any clothing for many years now, I simply don’t like clothes. Or it could be that my body’s temperature regulation is so used to nudity that it doesn’t remember how to work when I have clothes on.
After a full day at work, visiting clients, the first thing to be done when I get home or to my motel is to strip off and get comfortable.
For half the year, when it is dark outside in the evenings, once I am inside my motel unit and relaxed, it is unlikely that I will put clothes on again until the morning. The only real downside is that I am less likely to go out for a walk to get some exercise after having sat in my vehicle most of the day. I know I should, and my health may well improve a bit if I did, but I just don’t like putting on clothes if I don’t have to, something other nudists can probably relate to.
Thankfully, as the summer months approach and the evenings remain warmer and lighter for longer, the desire to get out and about outweighs the desire to stay naked and comfortable. I am a fair-weather exerciser and can think of many excuses not to exercise, especially if it involves putting clothes on.
I have been known to seek out spots on my travels around the country where I can strip off and enjoy the outdoors naturally. There are plenty of places around the cities and towns that I visit where I can get naked. Some are known naturist spots while others are simply secluded and safe places to get naked.
As we edge towards summer in this part of the world, I look forward to coming out of the self-imposed winter hibernation and enjoying more time in the warmth of the evening sun.
I appreciate that for many people, probably most people, their work does not allow them the freedom or autonomy that I enjoy, and I don’t take my situation for granted. This financial year has been particularly tough, and we have already lost two staff members who have not been replaced. There is no guarantee that I will still have a job this time next year.
If the worst were to happen, then I am unlikely to find another job that pays as well as the one I have, and I would most likely end up in a 9-5 role that requires attendance at a workplace, something that I haven’t done for over 11 years.
I am less than 10 years off the official retirement age here in New Zealand and will probably continue to work past 65 if I am still up to the frequent travel. There is pressure on the government here to increase the retirement age, as the population ages and people live longer.
That is all well and good, so long as people are able to work. Some who have worked in physically demanding or manual labour roles may not be able to work beyond 65, with damaged joints and health issues resulting from a lifetime of hard work.
There is a contradiction where employers are expecting people to work beyond 65 if they can, but are unlikely to hire anyone over the age of 50. This makes changing jobs at my stage of life something of a gamble.
There are days when I don’t enjoy my job, yet there are other days when I think I have the best job in the world. On the days when I feel that I need a change, I remind myself that I have the freedom to wear or not wear what I want most of the time.
Things outside my control may change the playing field, but for now, I am mostly happy with the work that I do, clothed or naked.
I get to be naked much of the time, and that has to count for something.
Thank you for reading. Have a comfortable day.
Next Week:
Down a YouTube rabbit hole.
One minute you are watching a tutorial on landscape photography, the next minute, it's 2 am and the Muppets are singing Bohemian Rhapsody.
I hear you, Steve. And, like you, I have lived so much of my life without clothing that I find it annoying when I need to drape my body with it. Working in a farming situation means I don't have to wear clothes at all unless going to the shops or some other place that requires them. Much of the time I don't even need clothes to drive - not even when filling the tank at our local self-serve gas station. And with the heat of summer coming on, my body is so thankful for the ability to breathe!
Being unemployed at the end of my 40s I spent my 50th birthday taking professional exams to qualify for a trade (electrician) which I then took through to retirement in self-employment. This evaded the difficulty of convincing an employer that age and experience are worthwhile workplace investments. It also transpired that customers felt the opposite - he’s not some youngster who can’t be relied on, he’s got grey hair, must know what he’s doing!
Unfortunately, working mostly in people’s homes I rarely had the opportunity to work naked (though it did arise a few times) but needs must, eh?