I’m going for the trifecta — 3 posts in 2 days! Unheard of! Finally clearing out my half written articles. Hopefully my naturist thoughts don’t become overly tiresome
I’ve commented several times on the concept of “trust” as associated with naturism. I’d like to delve a bit more into that, 3 specific aspects.
First — Trust in Yourself. Some people’s judgment is better than others. If it wasn’t, there’d be a lot less “Florida Man” and “Darwin Award” stories. But for the most of us, we have judgment that serves us well. It helps us know when the time is right. We know what’s possible, what’s not; what’s doable, what’s not; what’s smart, what’s…..less than smart. But regardless, sometimes we don’t trust our judgement. We question ourselves. We overthink. We let doubts set in.
It’s no surprise that our naturist experiences can fall victim to this lack of trust. It’s part of what keeps many of us in the nudie closet for years, decades even. For me, this trust came very quickly. Once I found the opportunity to spend time nude, there was no looking back. My early forays into being nude outdoors were also based on informed decisions, some risk mitigation, but most importantly in my trust in my judgement, that this was a positive, enriching experience that I should embrace.
Second — Trust in You Beliefs. While I’m a big proponent of naturisms core, joy, it does contain a set of beliefs, with some variance from naturist to naturist. Many of those beliefs don’t necessarily align with some societal norms. “Walking around nude?! That’s weird!” But being able to see a bit deeper, and trusting those beliefs as part of your DNA rather than some sort of rationalization, backing yourself into the idea that being nude is ok, takes some commitment. But once you make that leap, and forge that trust, it’s a whole new world.
As mentioned, naturist beliefs can, like any other belief framework, vary slightly. There is no 100% non-negotiable naturist rule set, than all must abide by or you’ll be voted off the nude island. But there are common threads certainly — respect, acceptance, support of a positive body image, harmony with nature, etc. Regardless, each of us has our own particular brand of naturism, with some variances.
My variance occurs on one of the most over-discussed naturist topics — erections. I’ve written on it several times, most prominently in “The Third Rail of Male Naturism”. I won’t regurgitate all of that here. If you’re interested, please pull up the post. I wrote it with some trepidation, fearing backlash. But it’s one of my most read and well received posts. But to hit the major highlight — I DO NOT prescribe to the “anywhere, anytime, it’s natural” theory. But I do believe that in the right place, at the right time, with the right company, non-sexual erections can be seen as harmless, a non-issue, and simply an indicator of happiness and enjoyment. They don’t need to be hidden or discouraged. They can simply be enjoyed as any other aspect of naturism. That’s a pretty quick summary, but you get the idea.
Regardless, getting to that point my naturist evolution was a challenge. It took a while to understand and accept that erections while nude aren’t necessarily bad, wrong, or a sign of a deviant, perv, or any other negative connotation you can come up with. While they can be sexual and inappropriate depending on when, where, and with who, they can also be natural, normal, and accepted. Trusting my judgement over louder voices on the subject took time and patience. But I eventually got there.
Third — Trust in Others. To tell, who to tell, how to tell, weighing the risks of telling…, we’ve all been there. My approach — if you want to be open with your naturism to someone, choose someone you trust — trust to listen, trust to understand, trust to not judge.
This approach has worked well for me. Given that I was not only introducing my naturist side, but also my thoughts on occasional erections, yes…to me it’s a package deal, the discussion can be a daunting one. But, I planned out the discussions, practiced my main points, and most importantly, trusted them. I haven’t regretted a single discussion.
So, trust in yourself, trust in your beliefs, and trust in others is a reliable recipe to support your naturist evolution, at least it has worked for this naturist.
Thanks David, well done.
Do you get to call it a hat trick if you're a naturist? 😂