Through a Naturist Lens

For the past few mornings, it has been quite cool with single digit Celsius temperatures. This morning it was eight degrees out. At least there are no clouds or much of a breeze. I went out for another naturist walk in the prairie hills this morning.

One of the things that I have noticed is that I am outdoors almost to the maximum possible. Morning coffee on the deck in our yard happens at 5:00 am [I get up earlier to put on the coffee]. Come the evening, it is hard to go back into the house. Naturally, this doesn’t promote time for writing or editing. I know that summer on the prairies is a very short lived season. The joke here is that a decent summer happens about one weekend a year. Everyone I know is already planning their winter getaways to escape the bitterly cold winters.

On a side note, I have been asked to officiate at the wedding of grandchild number two. My two eldest grandsons have made these requests. For me, this is an almost overwhelming affirmation.

I live much of my life clothing free, I have earned the respect of my peers in the world of writing, I am still loved by my mate of fifty plus years, I am healthy, and I have an amazing set of children and grandchildren. Life is good!

Today is my birthday and I have received more well-wishes than I expected. I am seventy-three today. I have friends. In a way, that surprises me.

Thankfully, my wife of 51 years is my best friend. Having a life partner makes life easier for me and for most people I know. There are some who make me wonder how they are still together, or who have found safety and peace in retreating into single life. I am blessed with a family that cares for me and accepts me as a unique individual. And, I am blessed with others in my face-to-face life who are friends. And then there are those who became and remain friends from the world of social media.

It does seem that as I get older, the circle of friends shrinks. Aging has this tipping point when it comes to the body. There is no escaping having your body betray you in quite a number of ways. To keep one’s sanity, it becomes necessary to accept the reality of a body that defies all the “rules” of what is beautiful. If one accepts that reality and then looks at oneself with a set of eyes that realise beauty is beneath the skin, not the skin. Body acceptance is part of the answer. Self-acceptance is the key. And these allow one to be a real friend to others.

I wish each of you that reads this comes to know that your best friend is yourself.

It has been some time since I last talked about meditation. For me, it is all about mindfulness. Now, how do I explain that in a way that makes sense. Typically, people assume that meditation is about drifting into a state of non-being, a trance, or simply going blank. Meditation doesn’t do any of that.

Meditation is about clearing out the chatter and noise that typically dominates, especially in quiet times. Thoughts fragment, scatter, and we are typically left with annoying bits and pieces of inner sounds and images that defy being corralled and tamed. By sitting still, one focuses on either a mantra or better yet, one’s breath. The mind follows the in breath as it fills our lungs, and feels that fullness. And as though there is no pause, the breath begins to flow out. And then, an empty pause between one breath and the next.

Mindfulness begins in first being present with your breath, a focused attention. Only then can the chatter of your mind be stilled enough to become more aware of where you are. You don’t disappear into an inner nothingness. You get to be present to the sounds, smells, auras, and presences in your environment. Close your eyes? In my opinion, no. However, it might be wise to not be wide-eyed. Leave your eyes open a bit so that you are there and not drifting into the sleepy region of inner spaces. It’s too easy to fall asleep.

One good practice is to follow all of these instructions while walking. Walking meditation is real. In the not so distant past, religious leaders walked while praying, while meditating. Typically the cloister would frame an inner garden space and the clerics would walk the circuit repeatedly in silence. I also engage in walking meditation, walks that take me into the countryside away from neighbours and traffic. As I slip into the needed personal silence, I get to hear the birds, the breezes, the insects, and perhaps more importantly, any car approaching. Awareness is the key.

So you meditate?

Another sunny day and another walk in the hills. Two days ago I walked through this valley and through another area that had just been cut for hay. Once I had cleared this valley and was at the flats between opposing sets of hills, I saw that the other area had been baled. I am fairly certain that this area will either be baled later today or tomorrow which means no naturist hiking tomorrow.

Today is the hottest day of the year so far and the energy levels have dropped come the afternoon. Since we expected this, we didn’t plan anything important in terms of outdoor tasks other than giving the vegetables and flowers in the gardens some extra water.

I have taken advantage of this indoor time to begin chapter two of the new story. I have a cool office which doesn’t need to have the air conditioner turned on. I hope everyone enjoys their weekend.

Well, that was a naturist hike with a difference. I added another km to that total because of an issue. Between the start and the finish, my truck keys had fallen through a hole in my carrying sack. I had a choice to either retrace my steps or walk home where I have a second set of keys. Luckily, about a half kilometre into retracing my steps, I found the truck keys on the path, just steps away from where I had taken my first photo of my free-hike. Needless to say, I will have a sewing task of repairing that hole, or better yet, having a clip for the keys to prevent any future loss through new holes.

Today was my longest free-hike of the year. I could have gone longer but I had other tasks I wanted to complete before the afternoon temperatures soared. I have to dead-head the roses and then search for a pair of new tires from my truck as the rear tires are in poor shape.

I also have begun a new story, or should I say I have returned to a story I had begun sometime in the past. It will be a different sort of tale.

This morning, en route to two chores that were required out of town, I decided to pay a return visit to a highway rest stop not far from town which had been my naturist “go-to” site back in 2011. It was different this time. The rest stop is now barricaded and the place is in a sad state of repair. However, the fence is still standing strong as it does its job of containing the cattle that pasture there from time to time. The row of trees is still there as well.

The major changes are within me. I am much more confident and my hair has turned silver. And, though it might not be noticeable, I am trimmer having lost ten pounds over these eleven years since then. My skin is still dark.

I don’t want to return to the past, it is enough to have moments such as this one where the past is acknowledged and honoured. My present life is so much better. One would almost think that time heals and one becomes wiser. The year 2011 was a tough year for me. It was the year my mother died. That event chased me back into psychoanalysis and that led me to becoming a pilgrim who can’t seem to stop wandering around the world. In a way, I would have to say it was a time of pivotal change in who I was and how I would lead my life going forward.

What event changed your life?

Free-hiking on a perfect morning was all that I could have hoped for with the only drawback being spear grass which dug into my socks and decided to bite me. I walked 8.8 km at an 11 km/hr pace which is relatively decent for walking. Half of the walking was on a dirt path separating two fields planted with wheat and lentils. The second half was through rolling hills following an old, unused trail to reach a hilltop that had very old farm equipment parked. Joining the two ancient pieces was a newer piece of equipment seen in the photo.

I chose to walk in the morning as it is going to be a hot afternoon, too hot for enjoying a hike. I took a litre of water with me and had no trouble finishing it by the time I arrived back at my truck which had been parked by four large grain bins. Usually, I walk with trekking poles, but not this morning. It’s good to change things up once in a while. Today’s walk makes it the fifth free-hike of the season. It’s been a good year so far for free-hiking.

Now that I am back home, it is time to return to writing and editing with perhaps another audio recording of the Pilgrim novel.

I have to admit I love summers at our home on the Canadian prairies. The fact that we live in a small town of about five hundred people and that many of these people are gone to their cottages or seasonal camping spots has meant that the place has a silence that is rarely disturbed by human-generated noises.

We could be staying at a seasonal site at my daughter’s fifth-wheel trailer near a lake. However, we then would have to live with the noise of the surrounding campers. In our yard, the only noise comes from Wrens, Robins, Doves, Sparrows, and occasional Grackles and Finches.

My temperament, my personality is primarily introverted. It’s not that I don’t like people. I would just rather that they weren’t always so hyper and noisy and demanding of attention. I can only handle so much socialising before I shut down and become almost deaf. The same thing happens when I find myself “shopping.”

If I am alone it is a quick in and out with no browsing. If I am not alone, it doesn’t take long before I zone out and become a zombie. My wife doesn’t particularly enjoy shopping with me when she is in the mood to browse.

Being a writer fits with my personality. I can handle long periods of silence unlike my wife who needs to have at least a radio squawking in the background. My writing lets me peer into another dimension. I can listen into conversations in this dimension, but not as you would think. I see conversation. The characters and the worlds that hold them are unaware of my presence on the other side of the door that separates my physical world from theirs. And, I like it that way. Whenever I want, I can turn away from that portal and rejoin the real world.

It is a gloriously sunny day here on the Canadian prairies. A dump of rain has left the backroads where I tend to hike a muddy mess. I drove out to check, hoping that I could sneak in a little five kilometre hike, but alas, mud-caked hiking shoes in just three steps on the partially gravelled section. I knew that the 100% dirt trail with its ups and downs would be totally unenjoyable. As a result, I returned home with hopes of another naturist hike in a few more days. I did manage a hike two days ago, so at least there is that.

The garden is coming along and we have had two relatively large pickings of strawberries from our tiny patch. Cucumbers are also being enjoyed and baby tomatoes are appearing on the vines. And, due to the recent rain showers, mosquitoes are back in town – unwelcome guests.

There is a bit of a kerfuffle on Twitter which soon had voices getting defensive, some even suggesting that perhaps I’m not a naturist at all as I don’t embrace censorship. Though I don’t agree with people posting porn [I block them when they react to my posts and images], I do defend their right to post. Though I don’t like spread-legs photos by those who are for all intents and purposes, naturists/nudists, I do defend their right to post.

When there are gatekeepers with rulebooks, the world is divided intentionally. I can think of divisions between conservative and liberal worldviews, between Caucasians and POC where “pureblood” is a mantra. I can think of religious divisions, divisions that fuel extreme reactions and violence. Who gives a shit what religion [or none], what colour of skin, what party a person believes in, or sexual identity?

I don’t sit on a fence. I have my beliefs and values. I just don’t foist them on others. I say what I think whether others would rather I remain silent or just smile and nod my head mouthing polite, meaningless words. My books reflect this. And as the image says, I hope my books are good enough to survive long enough to be read. And undoubtedly, I will become a banned author. LOL!

I am waiting for the clouds to break as I intend on getting out for a naturist hike. It has been a while since my last hike au naturel. The weather has not been very cooperative with the third coolest [and windiest] spring on record. At least we have had sunshine while the wind howls as it has allowed me to get a bit of a tan. The garden is doing well, including the new perennials that will add some extra colour to the backyard.

I will be at home for the next four weeks and hope to get more work done with my audiobook project. Come August, I will have all of my family arrive for a family reunion – tee-shirts included. September has a wedding in store for us with a grandson getting married.

Now, you might have noticed that I have avoided saying anything even remotely serious. No psychology, no politics, and no social issues. That said, I do hope that you seriously consider protecting yourself as the latest version of Covid has arrived and it appears to be the most dangerous variant yet. Don’t wait for governments to tell you what to do.

Don’t swallow conspiracy theories as they won’t provide you with any protection. When in doubt, wear a mask when gathering in groups. Eat healthy, get some outdoor exercise if possible, and consider carefully the idea of a vaccine. Though almost everyone around me has had Covid, I haven’t had it, nor have my friends who are also fully vaxxed with two boosters [we are all old fogies over seventy].

Take care out there, and dare to be bare.