The Novelty of Nudity

The first time I felt the sun on my naked skin at Toronto Islands Hanlan’s Point, the buildup of excitement as I approached the beach, I remember the rush of adrenaline as I got undressed, it was so exhilarating I knew immediately I was hooked.  The feeling does not fade much either.  Maybe it is because I don’t frequent a naturist beach, or a resort, or events as often as I like, but when I do each time I feel very similar to that first sunny day on Toronto Island.  I don’t think I am alone in this.  When at the GTA Skinny-dippersnude bowling event last month, the woman who asked “Are we good?” and then quickly undressed in a single motion, she felt it too, it was obvious in the grin on her face, and that memory will stay with me for a long time. 

At first I thought this rush was because to most people, at one point myself included, thought that naturism was taboo, a remnant of the 60’s hippie counter culture, or worse a kinky thing for swingers.  And like anytime you do something a little bit “naughty” you get a rush so I assumed that is what I was feeling. I know now I was wrong, It was not because it taboo or naughty, I no longer see things that way yet the feeling is the same. My interpretation was skewed, it is more like the rush you get playing a competitive game or sport or really any hobby. Excitement builds as you ready for the first pitch in baseball, and the joy when the ball hits the glove, the crowd gets into it.  No different than planning a night out with friends or a vacation, and so on.  And as soon as the game is over, like when you say goodbye to friends or return from vacation, you already look forward to the next time.

As a way to extend that feeling, I like to find the joy not just in being nude, but in the novelty of what I do while happily unhindered by clothes. I have actually thought a lot about this topic of late and probably mentioned it in previous posts. It has been even more top of mind as the weather has grown warmer the last few weeks and we even have a forecast of 27C today in the Toronto area. Automatically you think of the traditional naturist activities. Being outside and going for a walk in the forest, a game of volleyball, or swimming which is by far my personal favorite naturist activity.  These activities are fun on their own, and doing them while naked just enhances the experience. I however only have so many opportunities to be a naturist in nature. This work/life balance thing seems to lean more to work than life these days sadly.  As such I use every opportunity to be clothes free when I am at home and there are plenty of the more mundane activities, the things I would often put off doing or wish I could, that are somehow made less mundane and more of a novelty simply by doing them while naked. 

Household chores are a perfect example. You can spend an entire day sometimes just keeping a home clean. Vacuuming, sweeping, dusting. All things I hate. But all of these are done naked now and I tend to smile the whole time. Some of the dirtier jobs like dishes, mopping and cleaning bathrooms actually make sense to do naked. On weekends when I wake up I don’t bother with the usual shower to start my day.  Instead this is when I clean the bathrooms and mop floors, only once I am done do I hop in the shower. This means I save washing those clothes I would undoubtedly want to change out of had I worn them while cleaning and splashed dirty water etcetera on them.  This leads to fewer loads of laundry and  your clothes will last longer, yet another naturist advantage over textiles. It is hard to escape the irony of being naked while folding laundry. Even ironing clothes is ideal naked. Yesterday before work I ironed my shirt and pants and immediately put them on, then walked out the door.  So simple.  I also enjoy those moments when I have textile visitors who make comments like “How does a single male living alone manage to keep such a clean and tidy home?”

Recently a lot of media covered the Bunyadi restaurant in London UK. Opened as temporary pop-up restaurant as a sort of social experiment. They offered vegan and non-vegan uncooked meals and the dress code as “Optional”.  The idea being natural food, in your natural state.  Even the staff wore only discreate underwear (bottoms only) for legal hygiene reasons.  So successful the waiting list was over 46000 people long, and while planned as only temporary, plans are underway for a permanent location which I hope is up and running for my next trip across the pond.  Not that I have to travel that far to enjoy food naked.  I regularly eat while naked at home, and guess who makes those meals? I am not going to get dressed to cook the meal, then disrobe once I am done, so cooking naked is also a daily thing for me too. I do cheat here a little, bacon or anything in a frying pan is hazardous so I break out an apron. I always pack a picnic lunch when I make the trip down to Port Burwell. Otherwise I am putting on clothes, making the 15 minute walk to my car, 10 minute drive to town, 30-40 minutes to have your meal, then the 10 minute drive and 15 minute walk back to the beach…….that is time I could have been naked.  Same applies for visiting the local naturist clubs, Bare Oaks and Ponderosa. I always plan to eat there, both serve fresh food like sandwiches and burgers, why wouldn’t I take advantage.  I remember while at Bare Oaks, enjoying a drumstick ice cream cone, I dripped some ice cream down what would have been my shirt, quick dip in the pond, problem solved. I thought to myself how did I miss out on this for so long.

Another item getting lots of media attention is sleeping naked.  The good people of Facebook are always sharing yet another news article covering yet another study about the benefits of sleeping naked.  I have not worn anything to bed in several years.  I use to have a significant problem with insomnia and it didn’t occur to me until very recently how long it had been since I had any issues with insomnia. I realized that the last time I had a row of nights in a row without a good night’s sleep was before I started sleeping naked. I sleep more comfortably, I am cooler in the summer, yet don’t feel bothered in the winter.

I thought I would save the best for last.  I am fairly fortunate that my job allows me some flexibility and I am able to work remotely from home.  This means I often work naked which I can say is a hell of a good way to improve job satisfaction. Ever been on a long winded, time waster of a conference call? Think how happy you would be, no one has a clue the guy on the other end is completely naked.  Sometimes someone will joke that the people working from home could still be in their pajamas, which I have admitted to, as it is true in a

way.  Ever seen a business with a sign that says “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Service”.  They don’t even mention pants. So on the rare occasion I am needed on a video conference I throw on a shirt, but that’s it.  Just don’t forget to close the screen before you stand up! Works gets done, and I smile more than my textile colleagues. Its a win win. 

I could honestly go on for pages.  I have one friend who we always watch movies at home in the nude. We watched hockey playoffs together several times this year and wore only our team jerseys (Go Leafs Go!). We even painted a room in her condo naked, was a bit of work getting the occasional drip of paint off my body….not to mention someone eventually gets a large spot of paint on the other “accidentally”. I am sure some of you reading this have a few of these activities in mind as well. I’d love to hear from the nude yoga folks.  I have never tried Yoga, but as with bowling, I may give it a try just to see it from a naked perspective.The point is once you try anything naked you start to wonder, why you wore clothes for that activity to begin with, why didn’t I think of this sooner, and what else should I be doing naked????  Clothes have their functions, but outside the function I no longer bother unless required.  

Hope you are enjoying my blog posts, I will keep them coming even if you don`t. Stay Naked! 

The Bunyadi Naked Restaurant - http://www.thebunyadi.com/

Bare Oaks - http://www.bareoaks.ca/
Ponderosa Nature Resort - http://ponderosaresort.ca/