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.
#81 Organize a naked board games event.
Again with the organizing. I'm at a disadvantage with this list, since half of its purpose is making new friends, and I'm an introvert. This is a good idea, though. Playing board games naked is lots of fun - yes, I've done it. I've played a whole HeroQuest campaign in the nude. It's too bad "build Legos naked" isn't on this list, because that's even more my speed.
#82 Write a book naked.
Writing a book is a huge undertaking, no matter what you're wearing while you do it. I write naked at my computer all the time. In fact, I'm doing it right now! But I can do even better than that, because I've also written an actual book. And not just any book - a book about nudism. And, like this blog post, it's illustrated with my nude photography. It's totally for real - you can buy it on Amazon!
#83 Sail naked.
I'm starting to think the author of this list lives near the coast. So many maritime activities! (What about surfing? I've always wanted to try surfing). I've never sailed before, but it looks like fun. I'd definitely give it a try if I had the opportunity. All the better if I can do it naked.
#84 Code naked.
I was always pretty good with languages in school. And whenever I had a chance to take a computer programming class, I jumped on it. And then proceeded to excel at it. In hindsight, it's something I should have planned to do more of in my life, but I was lured to my doom by the intriguing mysteries of the natural sciences. Still, I've spent a lot of time coding naked, whether for my website, or on the backend of the RPG I'm designing. As a teaser, I'll tell you that it features a character who is a nudist!
#85 Fix what requires to be fixed in your home, naked.
I do all household chores, repairs, etc. in the nude (why not?). Unless it involves the front of the house, because then all my neighbors and anybody walking or driving down the street would see me. Cleaning out the gutters is always a fun job, because you have to climb up on the ladder above the fence line.
#86 Be a nudist friendly couch surfing host.
Is this like the AirBnB idea, but with people just crashing on the couch? I'm sorry, but this sounds like a terrible idea. It's picking up hitchhikers, but in your home and not your car. I don't want strangers in my house. I don't even like it when people I know invade my space. And adding the nudity angle just seems like you're inviting trouble. I'll gladly pass on this one.
#87 Go and do your shopping naked.
Much as I would love to do this, I've never been to a nudist resort large enough to have a supermarket, and this isn't really something you can do in the textile world. I'll take every opportunity to get undressed in the fitting room while trying on clothes (even a brief moment of nudity in the middle of a day trapped in clothes brings me joy), but that's not quite the same. I've browsed stores on the boardwalk wearing nothing but a skimpy swim brief, but even that falls short. Just give me an opportunity, and I'll be there.
#88 Have a drink at the bar.
Unless we're talking about the bar at a nudist resort, this seems to be approaching exhibitionist territory again. Especially if you've seen some of the photo sets I've seen. In either case, I don't drink, so the bar's not really my environment. And while alcohol might be just the thing to get some people out of their clothes, I'm not sure that's the best company to be naked around. But, if you're an exhibitionist, there's definitely some appeal to the idea of a naked night out on the town. Come to think of it, I was technically part of a naked bar crawl at Burning Man (I have the souvenir mug to prove it). But I got bored of it quickly, and all I drank was lemonade.
#89 Play a game of snooker, naked.
A game of what? Oh, you mean billiards. Yeah, I've done that. My dad used to have a pool table in the basement, and that was always a fun concept for a photoshoot. I even played a few games naked over the years. Thinking back on it reminds me of the excitement of my parents being out of the house, and being bold enough to play a rowdy game like that without clothes (always with one eye on the garage door).
#90 Bungy jump naked.
Why don't we just throw "skydiving" in there as well, while we're at it? I would not say that I have an excessive fear of heights - but I do have a healthy one. Climbing is fun. Jumping from about 10 or 20 feet (presumably into water) can be thrilling. But experiencing the feeling of falling any farther than that (naked or otherwise) isn't exactly high on my list of priorities in life.
#91 Carry video calls naked.
I'm not good on the phone. I don't have the kind of personality where I can easily carry a conversation one-on-one. So, calls of any kind fall outside my comfort zone. Therefore, I don't engage in them very often. But I have been naked on a video call before. Both explicitly, and with careful placement of the camera (depending on who's on the other end). To be fair, getting a call can feel intrusive. With a video call, somebody's essentially inviting themself into your home. You expect me to dash for a coverup in the time it takes to answer the phone?
#92 Learn something new naked.
In all my years of living a lifestyle characterized by frequent nudity, I'm sure I must have learned something new while being naked. I've learned to play songs on my guitar without wearing clothes. I recently learned how to solve a Rubik's cube in under two minutes, and spent most of the time practicing undressed. I've enriched myself with independent education, browsing wikipedia naked on my computer. And I basically learned how to play volleyball by joining games at a nudist resort (trial by fire, you might say). The opportunities are endless! "Anything you can do, I can do naked. I can do anything naked with you."
#93 Launch a membership recruitment campaign for your club.
I have pretty much no hope of accomplishing this. First, I'd have to join a club. I could do that, but social networking is not my forté (have I mentioned that already?). Nor am I very good at salesmanship or self-advertising. It just feels so...manipulative. Still, I'd be happy to contribute to a campaign to highlight a club's strengths, using the skills I do have - which, moreso than recruitment, might involve writing or photography. I want to help grow the lifestyle. We all just have different aptitudes and abilities.
#94 Organize a beach cleaning event, naked.
Is this a popular activity? Because this isn't the first time I've heard of it. I think it sounds like a great idea. Not only does it give you an excuse to be naked at the beach, while helping out the environment and beautifying a recreation area, but it doubles as an opportunity to demonstrate that nudists have a positive and not a negative impact on the community. They're certainly less of a nuisance than people who get drunk, make lots of noise, damage property (spray painting natural landscapes with bigoted slurs), and leave their trash behind. Because I've encountered all of that. When I'm naked at the beach, I'm minding my own business and enjoying nature respectfully. Sign me up.
#95 Create a naked hikes subgroup inside the local hiking group.
This wouldn't be a bad idea - if I were in the habit of networking with other local hikers. Again, to be fair, half of the point of this list is to make new friends. But part of what I like about hiking is that it's a solitary activity. I don't know other hikers. I don't talk about hiking. I just go out and hike. But maybe that's why I feel like an oasis in a desert of textiles. I don't know if there even is a hiking group in my area. But I might just go and search around for one.
#96 Go to hot spring pools.
I've been waiting for this one to show up! I went to a clothing optional hot spring in Colorado once, and it was wonderful. They had a guesthouse with a well-tended garden, and multiple pools of differing temperatures, all against a stunning backdrop of the Rocky Mountains. I'd love to go back again, or visit a different one. I've seen regular pools advertised as being sourced from hot springs, but clothing optional is the way to go. It almost feels like an insult to have to wear any kind of clothing while enjoying these incredible natural resources.
#97 Get a nudist cap.
As in, a baseball cap? I don't really wear hats (I don't like the way they muss up my hair), so this idea is even less practical for me than the t-shirt one. As far as ways to advertise nudism on your person when you can't be naked, I guess there aren't a ton of options beyond what this list has covered. Conversation starters are useful, but a clever nudist can find ways to subtly inject a nudist-friendly philosophy into a wide range of topics. It's surprising, sometimes, how much textiles are infected by "modesty", and body-consciousness. Be the liberating force in somebody's life, and if you're lucky, they might come to the right conclusion all on their own.
#98 Stick a nudist bumper sticker.
I'm very excited to be able to say that I've done this! I put the Universal Naturist Symbol on the bumper of my car. As somebody who prefers the term nudism to naturism - despite wholeheartedly embracing the nature element in nude recreation - because it doesn't obscure the fact that this lifestyle is defined by "nud"-ity, I was initially concerned that the symbol was too vague (in lieu of, for example, depicting the human body) to represent nudism. However, I've come to appreciate it. Upon seeing it, nudists will, by and large, understand what it means. But there are times when you want to be incognito, too.
#99 Have a set of nudist mugs.
I don't drink tea or coffee, so I don't use mugs very often. I have one mug, and it's a Hershey's mug. I use it for hot cocoa. But it might be nice to have a set of mugs for guests, as yet another way to advertise (although it's beginning to feel like hitting them over the head, at this point in the list - but I guess that's the point) that you're a nudist. I'd love to have one of those heat-sensitive mugs, where the person's clothes disappear when the mug gets hot. That would be cool.
#100 Share the love of nudism.
I consider myself an activist and an ambassador for nude recreation, so I think I've got this covered. Part of the purpose of my photography and social media presence is to share my love of nudism (among other things). But I also try to be open and unreserved in conversations with family and friends. It can be a fine line to walk, and often times you have no choice but to cover up and pay lip service to the textile majority. But I've made a conscious decision to be honest and forthright about my beliefs and my activities as regards nudity, and not keep this part of my lifestyle a secret from anyone. Because it just feels better that way.
Reflections
And that's the end of the list. Whew! I've tallied up my score, and it comes out to about 57%. The only thing more surprising than how many of these things I've done is how many of them I still haven't done. But it's understandable, given that I'm a bit of a shut-in.
I'm pleased with the volume and the variety of pictures I've managed to come up with to illustrate this list (and I hope you enjoyed looking through them), but searching for them has reinforced my concern that I need a better method of organizing and cross-referencing them. Maybe if I could stop taking new pictures long enough to catch up on sharing them, then I'd have time to do that. Or maybe I'll just have to wait until I retire...
