"Naked Without Shame"

(I don't have a picture for this post) Last week I went to our rec center on campus to jog and bike for awhile between meetings. After I finished I went to take a shower. While I was in the communal baths there was an old man who finished just before me, then as I walked back to my locker, he was standing next to mine. As I unpacked the things in my bag before I got dressed, I took my Bible out and set it on the bench. The man asked, "whatcha readin?" I replied, "that's the holy bible". He gave me an affirmative "ahah". We stood there a moment as I thought how weird it was to have this conversation naked together in a locker room. He remarked, "it looks well thumbed". I smiled. Though he was not my usual audience or target, I figured I shouldn't be totally passive. "Are you a professor here?" I inquired. "Yes". "What do you teach?" "Agricultural Economics. We don't get into the Good Book often...what part are you reading right now?" "Well I've been reading through the second book of Samuel. David was a shepherd--" I offered as an attempt to connect with his field. "The Jewish shepherds were actually quite remarkable. Like David defending his flock from lions and bears, the shepherds would lay down their lives for their flocks. And Jesus became the Good Shepherd for all". He seemed quite in agreement, and I was feeling quite awkward as I finally decided to put some underwear on. It gave me a new appreciation for the phrase, “putting yourself out there”.