Naked Gardening
I am not the most avid gardener at the best of times — as the state of our yard will attest. Nevertheless, I do enjoy the results sometimes of putting in the effort, and I'm always interested in seeing how plants grow. Nature continues to amaze me.
So, I was a bit disappointed to discover, while catching up on my reading, that I had just missed World Naked Gardening Day on 9 September — the second annual one, no less. Who can argue with this rationale?
Why garden naked? First of all, it's fun! Second only to swimming, gardening is at the top of the list of family-friendly activities people are most ready to consider doing nude. Moreover, our culture needs to move toward a healthy sense of both body acceptance and our relation to the natural environment.
Years ago, I remember dipping into the rec.nude usenet newsgroup and I was flabbergasted by what I found. I thought it was nice to find so many people who had an interest of some sort in nudity, but they sure had some issues with their bodies! I remember one guy's breathless report on an occasion when, hours into the night after his wife and children were in bed, he had closed all the curtains in his living room, turned out all the lights, taken off all his clothes, and sat totally naked for over 20 minutes. He felt quite liberated, according to his report. I had the oddest mixture of reactions, along the lines of "You go guy!" and "Get over it!"
I wonder whether he'd be ready yet for naked gardening?
In: All, Curious Stuff, Raised Eyebrows Dept.
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on Saturday, 16 September 2006 at 01.14
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The point about body acceptance and relating to nature is so true.
For completely understandable reasons, parents deliver strong messages about modesty to their extremely impressionable toddlers. The result is usually overkill on both the sending and receiving ends. We would have a happier society, with fewer mental/emotional problems, if parents could and would from time to time give their kids balancing, age-appropriate messages.
To make matters worse, some kids are given a double whammy message: nudity is sinful. Former Attorney General John Ashcroft was so bent out of shape on this score, he had a Justice Department statue of bare-breasted Lady Justice hidden behind a curtain. And, it wasn't that long ago that many women developed inoperable breast, ovarian or uterine cancer, sealing their fate, because they were too inhibited to undergo a proper physical examination.
It's also unfortunate that even some who manage to outgrow the overkill learning of their early years still find the sight of average folks, as opposed to bodybuilders and Playmate types, unsightly.
Here's hoping the gardening day thing becomes a widely popular event. But I wouldn't make any big bets on it.
on Saturday, 16 September 2006 at 11.04
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well, I'm sitting NIFOC (naked in front of computer) even as I key this in, I'm all for naked events. When you come to Trawna, we'll have to make a trip to Hanlan's Point on Toronto Island — a 10 minute boat ride, just enough to feel nautical, and then a ten minute walk to the (legally) clothing-optional beach.
I was a bit disappointed to discover […] that I had just missed World Naked Gardening Day on 9 September
I've been known to make that kind of calendar slip myself. So, as a public announcement, I remind all and sundry that this coming Tuesday, 19 September is International Talk Like A Pirate Day. Avast, me hearties!
Chris, planning on spending at least part of the day wearing an eyepatch, big hoop earrings and knee-high boots ONLY.