This week I'm responding to Nude & Happy's 100 Nude Ideas [NSFW] ("to increase nude time and nudist friends") - illustrated with my own photography. Over 15 years of nudity, spread across five installments. It all starts here.
#61 Prepare and have your breakfast naked.
I do this (almost) every single morning. Granted, I don't usually cook a big breakfast - I prefer to eat a bowl of cereal and wait until lunch. But when I get out of bed naked in the morning, unlike most people, my first impulse isn't to cover up. Unless, of course, we have guests staying in the house (who are almost certainly not going to be accustomed to casual nudity). In that case, I have little choice but to cover up. It seems a small thing, but I find it very frustrating when I'm compelled to alter my habits within my own home.
#62 Have a naked canoeing day.
I don't own a canoe, but I go out on my kayak frequently. And on a quiet day, I can put my swimsuit in my bag and spend hours on the water without ever getting it wet! I even have a favorite spot on the lake that I've unofficially designated as a nude beach. It's around the cove from the main swimming area, so it has privacy, and you can access it directly via a trail that runs up to the road. I just wish I knew some like-minded people to share it with.
#63 Get married naked!
I like this idea, but this is another one that doesn't really work that well when you think about it. Statistically speaking, most of the family and friends of any nudist are going to be textiles, so you're basically excluding them from an important milestone in your life that I'm sure they'd want to be a part of. A secondary service with your nudist friends, perhaps hosted by your favorite nudist resort, or a renewal of vows or something of that sort might be a better idea.
#64 Participate in a body painting event.
I have yet to try this. Other than a photoshoot I did a long time ago, where I was trying to portray the sin of wrath, I haven't experimented much with body paint. It'd be fun to do, but I have to wonder if the focus on my body, and the tactile stimulation from the paintbrush, wouldn't produce an unintended effect in a context where it wouldn't really be appropriate. But I'm probably worrying too much.
#65 Get an overall tan.
Unlike many nudists, I'm not obsessed with my tan. I like having pale skin. Of course, you can't spend time out in the sun and not pick up some color. And I agree that tan lines are generally unappealing. But it's impossible to live in a textile culture and never step outside wearing clothes. That's why you can't judge someone's dedication to nudism by their tan lines. I like to lay out fully nude in the sun from time to time. But it's more because I enjoy the feeling of warm sunshine on my body, than anything to do with micromanaging the tone of my skin.
#66 Play volleyball naked.
Before I started visiting nudist resorts, I had only played a few games of volleyball in my life - back in high school gym class. And I wasn't that good. But I gave it another try, and I discovered how much fun it can be. Especially playing on the sand, which reminds me of the beach. Nowadays, it's the volleyball more than anything else that draws me back to organized nudism, year after year. I even have a trophy sitting on my shelf, that my team won by placing first in our bracket during a nude volleyball tournament.
#67 Waterski in your birthday suit.
I can't even remember how long it's been since I've had an opportunity to go water skiing, naked or otherwise. I feel like there'd be a potential risk of injury to your delicate bits, but I guess it's not like swimsuits cover up much either. I'd be willing to give it a try - and I think the outrageousness of the activity (and the fact that you're not getting that close to anyone) would embolden me to do it even if there were other boaters around. I might want to have some practice first, so I don't make a total fool of myself. And renting a motor boat isn't exactly on my financial radar at this point in time.
#68 Binge watch Netflix.
Oh, you mean any random weeknight? This would be a great way to watch a show like Naked and Afraid. I can actually remember the first movie I sat down to watch naked in my bedroom, that first year I deliberately embraced nudism. It just so happened to be Pan's Labyrinth - which gives you a sense of how long ago that was. I'm surprised I've never heard of any nudist groups renting out a movie theater. It could be a fun promotion for any one of these indie nudist films that come out from time to time. Better yet, string a few of them together and you could have a mini-nudist film festival!
#69 Climb rocks with the bare minimum.
This is actually one of my favorite things to do when I'm naked outdoors. Not the kind of rock climbing that's dangerous and requires gear, but just scrambling over rock piles and shelves and boulders. I like climbing up to a higher vantage point, and I like the feeling of the rocks on my skin, especially when they've been warmed by the sun. I know some good places in the woods, at the lake, and up in the mountains, where you can find some great rocks that aren't too difficult to climb over. The hardest part, usually, is avoiding other hikers.
#70 Film your naked activities.
Again, this is basically my job. And it's something I've gotten into the habit of doing more and more of, now that the phones in all of our pockets come with some pretty decent camera tech. A few years after my original Daily Nudes photography project, I challenged myself to shoot one short nude video a day for a whole year. These days, I like to shoot what I call nudist documentaries - just short videos of me engaging in various activities (including a lot of hiking, swimming and boating) while nude. There's a lot of suspicion among nudists about who enjoys this kind of media and why, but I don't question it. I'm happy to share, and even happier if people like what I'm sharing. After all, being attracted to the human body is natural, too.
#71 Have a nudist tote bag.
Tote bags aren't really an important fixture in my life, but I guess this is a safe way to advertise nudism (and your support of/participation in it) without, you know, exposing yourself to strangers. Plus, it's something you could get some use out of (moreso than a t-shirt) at the nudist beach or camp, too! I already have a Victoria's Secret bag I like to carry my stuff in when I go to the beach. It's also a conversation starter - but for a rather different sort of conversation.
#72 Taking care of yourself (pampering).
I was expecting this list to include getting a massage, but I guess that would count under this item, vague as it is. In a sense, I pamper myself every day during my shower routine. Getting cleansed and refreshed under the running hot water revitalizes me. Any other grooming tasks that need to be done (shaving, trimming, brushing, drying, painting, rubbing, etc.) will naturally be done nude. I think it would be fun to have the full spa experience, in an environment where nudity is encouraged.
#73 Visit a museum.
This is something I wanted to do for a long time, until I finally got the opportunity. It was more of an art gallery than a museum, but very similar. And it was with an organized group of nudists. The staff and tour guides remained dressed, but were quite friendly and accommodating. It was a blast!
#74 Move to a clothing optional gated community.
Hey, I'm not old enough to retire - yet! I feel like this dovetails well with "buy a house or a caravan in a nudist resort", so I'm not going to repeat myself. I do wonder about the logistics of this situation as regards visitation by non-nudist members of your family. I think having a "vacation home" in a clothing optional community would be a better bet.
#75 Make your home a nudist haven.
Oh it is. It is. I'm not entirely sure what this involves regarding the indoors (other than calculated use of curtains/blinds, or even one-way window film - both of which I've utilized), but I've put a lot of work into making my backyard (relatively) safe for nudism. The promise of being able to recreate nude outdoors was one of the deciding factors for choosing to live where I live. The yard already has a six foot fence, several trees, and a vacant property or two adjacent. I've just spruced it up with some extra plants, heavier siding, and a strategically-placed trellis or two. I'm surprised the nudist community hasn't capitalized on the need for home and yard privacy solutions by starting a nudist-friendly business. If I were an entrepreneur...
#76 Form a naked music band.
I play guitar. Where do I audition? One question that gets asked of nudists is what to do if you're at a nudist resort, and you run into someone you know (the answer is say hello). Well, that happened to me once - and it was a fellow guitarist that I knew from my days of performing at coffee house open stages! We didn't form a band (our styles are a bit different), but it was a nice surprise. I'd like to play guitar nude in front of an audience someday. I guess I'll have to keep an eye out for an open stage on the calendar of events for my nearest nudist resort.
#77 Read a good book naked.
I've read lots of books naked. I'm sure at least a few of them were good ones. The one I'm reading in this picture is titled Best Friends With A Naked Girl, by A.D. Rowen. As an exhibitionist, I enjoyed it very much. If you prefer non-fiction, I just recently read a book about sex-positivity titled Perv: The Sexual Deviant In All Of Us, by Jesse Bering. I recommend it.
#78 Participate in a naked TV show.
I love this idea! But again, where do I audition? I enjoy watching Naked and Afraid; I only regret that it doesn't demonstrate that you can enjoy being naked in nature under gentler conditions, without it being an extreme contest for survival. I once posited a hypothetical alternative show called Nude and Confident, which would document nudists' struggles to get by in a textile culture. Imagine meeting and learning about the individual circumstances of a different nudist (or nudist couple or family) in each episode. I'd watch that show.
#79 Wear nudist T-shirts often.
I don't have nearly enough nudist-branded clothing in my wardrobe to do this. I have a couple shirts that I've worn, but good pieces are hard to find. In lieu of being a walking billboard, I prefer to let my actions do the talking. My fashion sense is very body-positive. You might say it's not really the same thing, but I love to wear clothes that bare a lot of skin. That takes at least as much confidence as covering up in a shirt emblazoned with the words "nudist inside".
#80 Take a bath/shower and stay naked.
I don't just do this every day, I actually refuse to get dressed after bathing until I'm thoroughly dry (and with the length of my hair, that takes some time). Even if that means holing up in my bedroom, or walking around the house in a towel. I wish this were a more common and accepted practice in our culture. I've known people who'll get dressed as soon as they step out of the tub. Who wants to put clothes on damp skin? But I guess if more people felt that way, we would have abolished swimsuits by now.
(To be continued...)
