My Journey to Naturism?

[Englishman]

I grew up on the edge of town & being something of a loner in those days, epic walks around the local countryside suited me down to the ground. One day, I've no idea which one it was but it was probably warm, I stopped & took off my clothes. I loved the feeling of the sun on my skin & the sense of freedom it embued in me. It was something I knew I wouldn't be telling my parents about; their mores were formed in a different age & being understood by them would require a huge leap on their part. So I kept it to myself &, as life moved on, those pleasant summer strolls faded away.

I bumped up against a naturist in my first job but he wasn't keen to talk & we didn't hit it off on a personal basis. We worked together reasonably well but that was as far as it went. He was also the butt of cheap jokes, when he wasn't around; we weren't that cruel. It was something of a 9 day wonder & vanished under the hurly burly of everyday work. Fast forward a good few years &, for the second time, I found myself working with a practising naturist. She was quite willing to talk so it became part of normal conversation in our little office; the two of us & a few volunteers. This wasn't every day, more like once a month; if that. But through those conversations & meeting some of her friends got me thinking again...

I went to the Bible, looked for something concrete but found the Bible's silence on the morality of public nudity pretty much dumped the response back on me. Then I consoled myself with the thought that the Bible dosen't give explicit answers about everything; the eating of meat, for example. Some of my friends eat meat, others don't, still others (possibly from both groups) cast their votes to people whose politics I don't like. I always bear in mind the possibility they might be right & I might not. It seemed to me, this was a choice I'd have to make & cope with the responses of my friends. They've had some interesting stuff from me in the past without feeling the need to throw me out of their lives; grace is wonderful stuff, isn't it?

Since marrying in 2012 we've been on a number of holidays where topless sunbathing was OK & just part of the background. But in late 2015 we were beachwalking & found ourselves on one of the naturist beaches around here. I stripped off & it was as good as I remembered. My wife went topless & it was a very pleasant 45 minutes before our schedule moved us on. Now, in our rented villa, I have been able to develop an almost all over tan; the colours don't quite match & I'm juggling with a variety of SPF's!

Am I a naturist? Not yet but I am heading that way; I don't feel any clash with my faith. If I did, I wouldn't; I don't want to do anything that gets in the way of my relationship with God. I'm getting ever more comfortable in my skin & hopefully, one day, I'll be making friends & sharing my faith with & without clothes.

[jasenj1]

Excellent introduction. Thank you for sharing your journey.

"Am I a naturist? Not yet but I am heading that way"

What is a naturist? Unfortunately, "naturist" and "nudist" are fairly squishy terms with various meanings. When you hear or read the term you really have to find out what the user means. They are not common terms in general society, so you can't expect that everyone has adopted a shared definition. And then the terms can legitimately cover a wide range of definitions ("dog" can refer to anything from a chihuahua to a Great Dane).

To me, you are a naturist. You have accepted that bare is an acceptable state of dress - even amongst people of mixed gender & ages. From that seed, we can move on to under what circumstances you believe nudity is acceptable dress, how often you wear just your skin, and other qualifiers. But at the core, you do not believe that nudity is dirty or disgusting or shameful or only to be between a man & wife during sex - and a few other extremely special circumstances (e.g. medical exams).

Welcome to CNV. I hope you find it an edifying place.

[JimShedd112]

Welcome Englishman and wife to our village. I've enjoyed reading your introductions both about your participation in naturism (yes, I'll classify you as a naturist) and your faith.

Jim

[Englishman]

Hmmm. Jasenj1, that was naughty; you made me think & look at how I have been thinking about this subject, good for you. By the standards you set, & I agree with them, I am a naturist, aren't I? Yes, I am. There, I've said it. I am a naturist!

Thanks for your comments, Jim, & the welcome.

[Maverick]

You have an (almost) all-over tan. That makes you more naturist than I am!

Welcome again from Texas, Englishman.

[Petros]

I should say - I must say, given our new place does not yet give me many openings - it is not the tan that defines the naturist. Rather it is a state of mind, an attitude.

[webmeister]

I should say - I must say, given our new place does not yet give me many openings - it is not the tan that defines the naturist. Rather it is a state of mind, an attitude.

[Englishman]

Couldn't agree more, gentlemen; attitude is a much better definition. But this is the first time in my life this has happened & I'm just a bit chuffed about it & enjoy looking at it. I know it sounds a bit sad & maybe I'll grow up later... past experience implies not though. If I can have a few minutes joy at my AOT I'll try to get a bit more profound with later posts!

[Petros]

Hey, mon, as another who started stripping in the woods I am thoroughly in agreement with you. I would be tickled pink [unfortunate expression for a longtime naturist, but "tickled tanned" just sounds silly] to have an opportunity just now - trusting things will open up as we settle in.

[jochanaan]

The more we experience social or natural nudity, the more we find that our fears have no foundation in fact.