A Bit of Introspection

Title:  Nymph of The River

Artist: Frederic, Lord Leighton

I will go to the bank by the wood and become undisguised and naked.
Walt Whitman

Now that I’ve explored this naturist way of life for several years, I have to stop and ask myself, am I really a naturist in the truest sense of the word?  In all honesty I would say no, I’m not.  I dabble in it and remain on the fringe of a completely dedicated naturist lifestyle.  Then I ask myself why I continue with even this much participation.  It’s interesting, it’s fun, it doesn’t hurt anyone and it’s just enough off center of the norm to make me feel as if I’m doing something a little wild and crazy.  I am not a "wild and crazy" type by nature and this is just the ticket for me.

My husband and I are what I would call fair weather naturists.  We pretty much come out to play the naturist game during the warm months of the year.  This makes sense to me.  With the arrival of the nicer weather I find myself having to work a bit (both mentally and physically) to get back in the proper mind frame of naturism.  I don’t think my husband goes through anything like this.  He’s ready to shed his clothes in the twinkling of an eye, usually his, directed at me.  What kind of man is it anyway who wants to show off his naked wife to other people?  I choose to think that it’s a very happy, slightly smug man who wants to show off to the world who he has as a playmate, lover and true companion.  I am all these things and more to my husband.  Should I be surprised he wants to share his favorite person in such a manner every now and then? Somehow, I don’t think so.  In fact, it pleases me.  Look out world, here we come!

Reality Check

I suppose we acquire most of our feelings about our bodies too early, and in ways too complicated, to make them easy to account for.
Charis Wilson

The sun has begun to spread its warm rays across the land more and more, the daylight is lasting longer. And so it is time for part-time naturists like me to prepare for the worst, face the music and check out what’s been hiding under those sweaters, sweatshirts and loose-fitting pants that I’ve been wearing these past winter months. It’s time to take a deep breath and really look at myself, naked, in the mirror to assess the damage done by a seemingly continuous holiday assembly line of good food, festive drinks and sinful desserts.

It’s awfully easy to lose sight of one’s shape when it’s been under wraps for months. I’ve been putting this reality check off for some time. After three years of whipping myself into shape in a major fashion and denying myself all and anything that hinted at containing extra fat and empty calories, I broke down. I indulged in food groups I’d almost forgotten existed. It was wonderful but I knew the time would come to pay the price for this backslide. I am a relatively short, middle-aged, mid menopausal woman. There’s nowhere for any extra pounds to go but around my middle; the laws of gravity don’t help one bit either. Yes, I know, the human form is beautiful and not one of us should be self-conscious or ashamed of how we look. I, however, am supremely self-image/body conscious. I can’t help it; this is how I am. If I’m going to enjoy participating in any kind of naturist activity, I have to be in the best shape I can be.

I took a deep breath, I looked...time for action all right...time for setting aside time each day for an exercise program with a bit of structure and sticking with it. Time for free weights, we call them "Tom". Makes them seem a bit more friendly this way. I’ve employed many different kinds of exercise techniques over the years with success but this time I’m trying the most basic, accessible means of exercise there is; namely, walking. I live in a very walker-friendly town and so far I’m three weeks into an almost daily 30 minute plus walk.

I used to obsess with numbers on a scale not so long ago. These days I rarely check out my weight. How my clothes fit (or don’t), how I feel and what my reflection tells me is all I need to know. A number on a scale doesn’t mean much. It’s more how that number is packaged. The bad news is I’m guessing I need to shed about eight to ten pounds. It just wouldn’t do to have a rotund SpringsNymph prancing around the place. The good news is this is definitely an attainable goal and should be easily achieved by the time the really warm weather arrives. My husband and I are planning a vacation of a naturist bent later this year and what better incentive than this?

A Long Absent Naturist's Return (Long term, I hope)

The best dress for walking is nakedness. But our sad though fascinating world rarely offers the right and necessary combinations of weather and privacy, and even when it does the Utopia never seems to last very long.
Colin Fletcher, The Complete Walker III

The last gathering we attended of our naturist group was back in January. There’s usually a get-together once a month but we were unable to attend the next two. April’s pot-luck/gathering/social event took place yesterday. After an extended period of unsettled weather, the sun was most cooperative and shone down on us kindly as we basked like lizards on the deck in our (mostly) winter-white skins, eagerly soaking it up. It never occurs to me to think of sun block in the middle of April. I don’t think I got burnt but I’m feeling a little warm glow warning me I’d better not forget to apply some next time.

It was nice to get together again. I hadn’t seen some of these folks for quite some time due to conflicting schedules, illnesses and such. This time around the potluck was assigned a theme; Italian. You know what that means. Pasta in every way, shape and form. Not a problem for me, I could eat that stuff every day. As usual, everything was tasty and highly caloric. Cheese always seems to figure largely at these functions and if there’s one thing I try to stay away from it’s cheese. I love it but it’s not too great for someone with a cholesterol problem with which I am afflicted, most unfortunately! With so much good food around, I don’t throw caution to the wind entirely at these events but I do try to keep it tethered!

The usual crowd was there. No new faces to be seen and this is our major dilemma. We need more members to flesh (!) out our group but none seem to be forthcoming. Early this summer an annual Health and Harmony Fair is going to take place at our county’s main fairgrounds. We’re making plans to set up and man a booth to promote some much needed awareness of our group. This should prove most interesting because it’s extremely important that the right message comes across that conveys what we’re all about. Naturism is a touchy subject which needs to be handled with kid gloves. Hmm...a naturist sporting kid gloves; that would make an interesting picture, don’t you think?