Some thoughts on nudity and being naked

This photo has nothing to do with this post really. I just didn't have

any good photos of nudity or being naked on my computer, and when

I googled it, I ended up with a whole bunch of not appropriate hits. :)

This weekend, for some family fun, me and my family decided to go to this indoor (well, it would be indoors now, wouldn't it?) water world kind of place in a town near where we live. It is one of those gigantic WaterWorlds with a whole bunch of swimmingpools, jazuzzis and water slides. I'm lacking some vocabulary here, but I hope you all get the picture? I think you know what kind of place I am talking about. My kids, E and L, really really really love to go to these facilities, so me and M take them on swimming trips serveral times a year. My kids are actually water creatures. Every once in a while I have to check them for gills...

Even though I kind of enjoy water slides myself, I'm actually not a big fan of these trips to tell you the truth. Here's the reason why: It is crowded, it is noisy, it smells funny and people aren't hardly wearing any clothes. The not wearing any clothes part is the part I am having the most trouble coping with. This makes me feel really uncomfortable. I feel I'm being exposed to more skin than I have asked for, and that I expose more of me than I feel safe doing. This trip was no exception. Don't get me wrong here, I think it's wonderful that people come in all shapes and sizes, and it's really great that they all seem to feel so... comfortable... walking around almost naked in public. I, however, do not. I have nothing against nudity, or being naked either, for that matter. I rather enjoy being naked. But when I am in public I would rather be wearing clothes. A bikini is just not enough to make me feel comfortable. But that was what I was wearing. And I was trying to relax and have a jolly good old time with my family too, I really was. But I kept seeing all these almost naked bodies everywhere.  I saw skinny people, old people, huge people, pale people, tanned people, body builders, hairy people, hairless people, people with very long toe nails... I believe I saw quite a lot of silicone. I believe M saw quite a lot of silicone too, thinking they were actual boobs... Men... No comment. Sigh.

I saw a lot of tattoos, too. That was actually kind of interesting. I even started thinking about maybe having one done myself. I don't have any tattoos. I think they look really good on some people though, but then again, on some people they look awful. Don't worry, I won't be getting one in the near future. I also saw a lot of piercings. When it comes to pirecings, I already have one, and I think one is enough. At least for me.

Now, I know I shouldn't complain. Nobody is forcing me to go on these swimming trips. Well, actually my kids are, kind of. But still, why should I let this get to me? It is clearly a problem inside my own head. Why do I care? Why can't I be cool enough to just walk around there and not let it bother me? Why should I care about all the almost naked people hardly wearing anything? And, why do I care about what they see when they look at me? But I do care. What do they see? Do they the 35 (almost) year old mother of two who for the last 5..., ehrrm, 10..., ehrrm, 15 years on New Years Eve has promised herself and the world to spend more time in the gym and less on the sofa in order to try and convince some of her body parts to move back up north? And do they even care? I mean, why would they care, really? They are probably busy having a good time with their families. They are probably not checking me out.

Fact. I do not enjoy being half naked in public. I guess that is what this post is about. For those of you who are still reading this, let me first take the opportunity to thank you for you endurance. Hang on for just a little bit more, and you will have reached the end of this post. Finally. To wrap this whole thing up let me just tell you this: I love swimming in a lake. When I do, I feel like a fish. I feel smooth. I feel fast. I dive. I can hold my breath for a really long time. I can. I love water and being embraced by water. Closing my eyes I can hear Michael Stipe sing "Night swimming". And he's singing it to me. Beautiful. Aaaah... Nightswimming in a lake, I might have to be checked for gills too. And being naked is not longer a problem. Nudity alone is not being naked, that is just Nature. No need for a bikini.