A Wild Naked Man Running Towards Me Is A Very Scary Thing

The Summer Before Junior High School was filled with anticipation. I was excited to leave elementary school behind me. Junior high sounded so robust and adult. And I felt ready—with one caveat. Physical education class. The rumor was that we had to shower after each class . . . and that the showering process was communal. In other words, we had to get naked and take a shower with a bunch of other naked guys.

Not cool. I wasn’t alone in my anxiety about this. In one heartfelt and vulnerable exchange, my best friend looked at his shoes and said, “Dude, don’t be looking at me in the…