Yesterday was World Naked Gardening Day. I have to admit that I did very little in the garden yesterday, though there was some discussion as to where I would put the chicken wire to support the two varieties of climbing beans we are planting in the garden. Gardening is done to some extend, naked, regardless of the calendar day. The deciding factor for me is the opportunity to get some of the gardening done while naked.
The idea of naked gardening isn’t simply about a set date on a calendar, especially here in the northern zones. Yesterday, there were too many places in Canada where gardening in any form or state of dress/undress wasn’t an option. The spirit of WNGD is about finding time in your garden, at some point in the spring, to risk being as natural as possible. Some people feel totally naked while wearing the briefest of body coverings – nakedness is not just about clothing, it is also about one’s state of mind.
For my participation in the World Naked Gardening Day, I had checked the weather forecast, as I was committed to taking part in an alternate activity for the Saturday, and then made the decision to till my garden on the day before the WNGD. On the right, you will see beginning to dig the garden before tilling. By the end of the afternoon, The garden was tilled and ready to be seeded..
There is a social aspect to World Naked Gardening Day that exists because of social media such as Twitter. If one does a search for #WNGD, one would find likely hundreds of photos, selfies for the most part, of people’s participation in the event. Of course, one would also find many claiming to be “Gardening” though there is no real sign of gardening, or even garden, in their images. Those people are more interested in “flashing” thinking that they can garner some attention with their awesome nudity. It doesn’t work that way.
World Naked Gardening Day is probably the best illustration of a human being nude without a sexual agenda or expectation. For those who take part, regardless of the day, even if they had been alone in their garden, there is a sense of community that starts to grow. One feels connected, even if only virtually, with others who share a “naturist” worldview.