The End of Summer

 After my extremely successful shirtless summer, I hate that outdoor shirtless opportunities are few and far between. It is currently warm where I live, so at least there is that. 

One thing that I am missing is a shirtless buddy. There are safety in numbers, and it's also a bonding experience. I feel much better if there is another shirtless person around - indeed, when I went to the local grocery by the beach, I followed a shirtless guy in. The same with a gas station also. When I see a shirtless guy go into a business, I don't hesitate to follow.

One thing I am working on is my issue with being shirtless around women. I don't know why that is a thing, but it is. I have been forcing myself to go into the shops where I know women are present. I have literally no problem if there are only men around. Interestingly, I have heard several people say that they have had more problems with men than women when they enter businesses. I haven't had that issue. 

I was out of town recently, and I went to a gay bar that has a Shirtless Guys Drink Free night. I met some of my shirtless friends from the Facebook group:

Being around all of those shirtless guys was terrific. Not only that, it was great to bond with shirtless friends. 

Speaking of, one of these guys lives the shirtless lifestyle to the fullest. He went on a trip to visit another shirtless friend and didn't even take a shirt with him. He enters business shirtless without hesitation. I aspire to be like him. 

I know it can be difficult to get started, especially if you aren't used to being shirtless in public or around people in general. I still have some hesitation sometimes. But really, the only way to get over your discomfort and hesitation is to just do it. Like they say in the Facebook group: If you want to look like a confident shirtless guy, just take off your shirt.

My hesitation stems from the horror of someone saying something about it. I don't want it pointed out, especially if something negative is being said. It should be normal as wearing a shirt and not worthy of comment. 

One thing I have learned, however, is that most people don't GAF. They don't think about you as much as you think they do.

Let's all normalize shirtlessness. As men, we are allowed to, so we should take advantage of it. The more of us who do it, the more it will be normalized. Let's do it, guys! Shirts off!