In the Sun

And so … after many months, I finally get around to putting some more words down. I could make all kinds of excuses. I’ve been so busy with work that by the time I get home in the evening, it’s all I can do to get out of my clothes and put my feet up. That even at weekends I’ve become lazy and am happy just to relax rather than go in search of adventure. There are other things that make me inactive at times, but one thing has been constant during these past months – and that is that I’ve been naked whenever possible. What started as an exploration, then became more of a habit has now become a way of life.

But this way of life has largely been confined to home and garden, with few opportunities to engage socially with others naked, or to wander in nature without clothes. But all through the months of work and discreet naturism I promised myself that I would plan ahead to spend this end of year vacation naked and free.

So I find myself writing now from an island in the Atlantic Ocean. Outside the waves are crashing on the rocks. The skies are blue and the sun is mild and warm. At dawn I wake and walk out my front door naked, greet my neighbours and plunge into the ocean before breakfast. This village is open. No fences, walls or gates. No lists of rules. No dos and don’ts. There is an assumption that as intelligent human beings, people know how to behave in a naturist environment. And when someone does wander in with other ideas, someone will tell them off before long.

There are couples – male, female, mixed. Singles. Few families. The sound of a car is a rarity. Only the ocean. Occasionally someone passes by naked between my front door and the sea, smiles and waves. People are open, friendly. Some arrive and stick to themselves, but after some days they seem to lose the will to be unsocial and start chatting. The natural grumpiness, wariness, weariness, whatever, that they have packed and carried with them – like the few items of clothing in their suitcases – falls away. It serves no purpose here.

I’ve met and chatted with people from many countries. All of us naked under the sun enjoying this priceless freedom. And there’s a sense that, while each person is unique, we are all somehow the same. We have all ended up here. Discovered this time and place and way of living and being. Surrounded by so many naked people of all shapes and sizes and colours, it does not take long to realise that a person’s true beauty comes from within.