Don’t bend at challenge to your ‘nudist’ operandi

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 23/07/2024 (440 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

DEAR MISS LONELYHEARTS: My husband and I are nudists with a private, well-gated cabin fronting onto the lake, far from anybody else. It’s our little paradise and we ask for total privacy. Family members know this, and are quite happy to leave us alone during the summer. I don’t imagine they really want to think about us in detail when we are up there!

A month ago our youngest son met a young woman, who is now pushing to come up to the cottage and meet us. We said to him, “No thanks, we’re enjoying our private summer lifestyle. See you both in September when we’re back!”

Now he’s telling us his new babe is “hurt and insulted.” She apparently said to him, “Obviously your parents don’t want to meet me badly enough to put some clothes on.”

She’s right, I guess. So now what do we do now?

— Nudist Mom and Dad, on Lake Winnipeg

Dear Mom and Dad: Don’t waste any of your precious summer time fretting. You and Dad made your point, and it seems your son’s mate doesn’t like your privacy position. Oh well!

Summer is short, so just relax and enjoy your next six weeks, and see if this new girlfriend even lasts. If she does, you’ll be meeting her soon enough — with all your clothes back on in the city. Good luck!

Dear Miss Lonelyhearts: My new boyfriend thinks I’m a weirdo for loving tornadoes — the bigger and scarier the better! He’s afraid I’ll start storm-chasing for real, and he may not be wrong. He caught me looking up storm-chasing gear again.

Then he told me to stop investigating tornadoes online and to find myself a better hobby.

I said, “Forget it!” and told him I’d be off chasing tornadoes for sure, if I had the equipment and the vehicle — or had friends who did. What could be more thrilling?

How do I explain to my guy that storm-chasing is my preferred “sport” for life? I think if you allow a guy to forbid you to follow your passion, you are doomed to end up becoming a shadow of your authentic self. What do you think?

— Not Backing Down, rural Manitoba

Dear Not Backing Down: You’re not the kind to be in danger of becoming a shadow of any kind! Look, people who engage in possibly dangerous activities make their less-daring partners nervous. They’re afraid their loved one will get hurt — maybe even killed — plain and simple.

This boyfriend really cares about you, and doesn’t share the same intrigue you feel for storm-chasing. He’s hoping he can scare you out of it.

If you know in your heart that’s never going to happen, and you want an equally daring partner, accept that situation now and start looking elsewhere.

Dear Miss Lonelyhearts: My new boyfriend is quite the practical joker. He knows I love to golf and he agreed to take a weekend trip away with me to a place with great golfing. Yay! He said he didn’t have any golfing experience, but no big deal.

We met up with two other golfing friends of mine, all according to plan. My new guy showed up with fancy clubs he said he “borrowed from his brother.”

We got on the course, and he played the first hole very timidly, but then he proceeded to catch up and beat everybody — and rub it in! Obviously, he’d been hiding a lot of experience. I felt like a fool after telling everybody to go easy on him because he was a beginner. He’s very attractive and sexy, but I’m not sure I actually like the guy. What do you think?

— Butt of the Joke, Winnipeg

Dear Butt: At the beginning of a relationship, you don’t have enough trust in the bank to pull a practical joke that may embarrass a mate. Maybe he did it knowing he’d get a big laugh retelling the story to his golf buddies. Look, you’re not sensing the warm feelings you should be at the beginning of a romance, so why not just let this guy tee off on his own?

Please send your questions and comments to lovecoach@hotmail.com or Miss Lonelyhearts c/o the Winnipeg Free Press, 1355 Mountain Ave., Winnipeg, MB, R2X 3B6.