Nudism: a personal view

I have hovered near the edges of nudism most of my life.

I disliked being dressed from an early age, waiting until my very anti-naked mother turned out the light at night so I could get out of my pajamas and sleep naked. As I got older I would find places to skinny-dip and had a small group of friends with whom I hiked naked on the Appalachian Trail, and slept in naked puppy piles for warmth. Nothing sexual involved, just being unencumbered by clothing out in nature with people who felt the same way as I about restrictive layers during exercise. Once the real world of employment and taking care of aged parents restricted any nude outdoor activities, I succumbed to the need to dress "appropriately" even as my body screamed for freedom.Now, I am older and live alone, which frees me to only need the social camoflage of clothing when I leave home. Currently, I consider myself fortunate to be naked and content 15-20 hours per day every day.Being clothes-free lets me breathe deeper, relax better, concentrate with ease, and lets the words flow from my fingers to the academic papers I write. No restrictions means I have a happy soul.

Nakedness is our natural state. It is how we come into the world and how we ultimately leave it. Why not allow ourselves to be natural? Adam and Eve are said to have made the mistake which gave us this guilty need to cover ourselves, according to the writers who came so many centuries after the fact so that they could justify regulating every part of human life. If God created us in His image, then it behooves us to love ourselves and to show Him that we love the bodies he gifted us with and let the sun bless us without hindrance.

God loves us in all our imperfections, so we should be comfortable showing our whole selves to each other, not just the mask society forces us to wear. Be proud, be naked, and let God know that you love His gift enough to show it to the world.

Introducing: thenakedhistorian

Let me introduce myself. For reasons most of you will understand, I call myself "thenakedhistorian"...yes, I know that's all one word but it works for me, and obviously I am a home nudist, hence the "naked" part of the new moniker. 

Anyway, I am a non-traditional post-graduate student researching Late Medieval and Early Modern History (ranging from 1000CE to 1700CE) and finding interesting tidbits about body image and attitudes as I go along. Those are what I want to share here, as well as some of my personal observations about my own body image as I age and how they correlate to religious strictures which have been hammered into our psyches since time immemorial. Be aware that some topics will be decidedly adult in nature and decide beforehand whether you care to read them.

I am sure I will anger some of you, but as these are my own carefully researched observations or analyses of my personal experiences, you are entitled to your opinion and may comment as long as you remain polite. 

This blog is *my* world, and the rules are simple: 1) Think carefully before you comment. 2) Be polite to both me and any others who comment. 3) Keep the language clean.

Thanks for tuning in here :)

Stay warm and Stay Naked!