Midnight bath.

It is astonishing me how easy it seems to be to get random strangers to get their kit off. Within minutes of meeting people, we are naked together! This is fantastic! I’m not talking about drunken, desperate exchanges in a club that lead to forgettable sex, hangovers and regrets. I’m talking about broad daylight, sober, non-sexual nudity that leads to joy, smiles, and great stories. Over the years I’ve had my fair share of drunken nights, soar heads and regrets. I’m no angel and I’m not looking down on anyone else that isn’t. But this is a very different kind of nudity and experience. This new path I’m on (this campaign I seem to have started to get everyone around me naked in nature) has brought with it a whole new perspective for me. The more people who join me and the more people I talk to about it, the more I see how this can really be life changing.

To some of you out there that may sound ludicrous. How can going for a skinny dip change your life?

Honest to god: it has changed mine!!

For anyone who has suffered with body issues, low self-esteem or a lack of confidence, spending time naked can be such a boost. And for those who don’t suffer with these things it can just be such liberation from everyday stresses and pressures. What better way to escape the craziness of this modern world: the Trumps and brexits, the political madness and the consumerist chaos, than to disappear for a little while, strip off your clothes and reconnect with nature and yourself. Even if it’s just for half an hour, it is an escape from whatever craziness you have in your life. Whatever your own personal problems might be. Because we all have them, some big, some small, we all have problems sometimes. So, we all need a respite sometimes. To free yourself of your clothes means total escape from it all.

I know that there is plenty of people who agree with me already and I’m so glad to have connected with some of them through what I am doing. I think there is plenty more people who know this deep, deep down. Who can benefit from it but haven’t embraced it yet. So far, I’m finding that people are loving to skinny dip with me. But not only that. Some of them are actually thanking me for the experience! They don’t seem to realise that I don’t do anything more than give them the idea. They are doing all the work themselves. It’s not like I take their clothes off and push them in the water, I am just the one to suggest it. It seems some people are totally down for it and love it, but the idea just didn’t occur to them. Well I sure am grateful to have met them, suggested it and shared the joy with them.

Two French travellers I met recently taught me a phrase: “bain de minuit” which translates to midnight bath. It is the tradition of taking a naked swim outdoors at night. Swimming naked at night under the stars and the moon is a beautiful thing. It’s a great way to be naked without the fear of people seeing that you are naked. But I have coined my own term: Midday bath. I also think that a midday bath is a beautiful thing. A naked swim under the sun? Get yourself some of that vital vitamin D while enjoying a soul revitalising nude dip? Even better! This is when the true liberation is felt. This is when the life changing shit happens. This is when we can say screw you to our inhibitions and worries. When we have to throw away our self-consciousness, stop thinking about what others think and just go for it.

Why is it that are we so scared of others seeing our naked bodies? Are we scared of being laughed at or scared of it turning into something sexual? Is it not possible to be naked and there to be no sexual connotations? Is it not possible to see our bodies as something other than a sexual object? Are we not capable of swimming, climbing, running, jumping, dancing and a plethora of other incredible things? Our bodies do some much more than just fucking so why does a naked body have to be associated with only that?

I don’t believe we should have to hide away in the dark when we want to skinny dip. I am not trying to encourage you to go to your local pool and jump in without your swimsuit on. I’m not a crazy lady! But, to maybe find a nice outdoor spot where there’s not people around, and enjoy the freedom of being in your natural state in nature. Why should it have to be in the dark and why for the love of god can we not let our friends or family see us in the buff? We trust our close friends and family with our secrets, and yet we cannot trust them to see our true natural form. If we really love each other, surely we don’t care what each other looks like?

I’m so so grateful for the people I’ve met so far along the way on this crazy journey. The experiences I’ve had with them are motivating me to keep doing what I’m doing. They have shown me that there is truth in what I am saying and there are people that share my believes. I’m so excited for the people I’m yet to meet, the ones who can teach me more about this subject and the ones who I can introduce to a bit of naked liberation.