It was during the long days of midsummer that I discovered my lust for streaking. Not necessarily running, but just wandering around the neighbourhood buck-naked and barefoot in the quietest hours of night.
It started when my boyfriend was away working for another three week stretch, and being unemployed, I had too much time on my hands. The apartment was really warm, even after sunset, and it took hours before it cooled off enough to sleep.
It was too hot in the apartment for yoga, so I found myself doing stretches on the balcony under the moon and stars. I'd had a few glasses of wine and a fat joint, and feeling fine, I peeled off my sundress to be naked under the dark sky. I wondered if anyone could see me there in the gloom. It felt amazing and a little bold!
The next night I had way too much wine then took my yoga mat over to the big grassy park a block and a half from our building. We lived in a fairly quiet neighbourhood and I wasn't worried at all about being out alone. Besides, it was after three in the morning and a week night.
I set my mat down in the mottled darkness under a giant poplar tree, and began my routine.. so chill. After twenty minutes or so, I realized that I'd only seen one car go by the whole time. I suddenly had an irresistible urge to take off my clothes.
I like making tricky little scenarios for myself, so I put my apartment key under a rock at the far edge of the park. I was going to ditch my clothes at home, and would have to return to the park naked in order to retrieve the key to get back inside. Even so, I would have do it drunk and naked, up past two floors of neighbors in a brightly lit staircase with huge windows facing the street
I ran barefoot back to my building, then stripped off behind a bush and rolled everything up tight inside my yoga mat. I intended to toss it up onto my balcony and out of reach. Now I was feeling fear and excitement at the potential point of no return! Do I really go through with it? I dared myself to at least attempt a test-throw. Besides, I reasoned that the first try would surely miss and I could still change my mind afterwards.
So, despite the self-induced terror, I wound my arm back and hurled the bundle skyward. It sailed upwards in a beautiful arc, landing with a plop on my balcony, far out of reach. I loudly gasped "Oh no!", while holding my face.
And now I was a victim of my own conniving. I was mad at myself but strangely satisfied too, and suddenly had no choice but to go all the way to the far edge of the park for my key and get back home again... in the nude! My heart was pounding, but the warm evening air did feel fantastic on my bare skin.
It was quiet in the neighborhood, but not silent. I could hear cars once in a while that sounded like they were the next block over. And I saw a dog walker ambling away from me down a side street. In a moment of sudden panic I bolted out of the shadows and ran to the park..