How it all started

Well I've never really been one to want to take my clothes off. In fact, I think I covered up more than most people. It took me until I was 21 before I even wore sandals. Not really sure what that was all about, but for some reason I always wore socks and would never want to expose my feet. I didn't have a problem with taking my shirt off in the summer time, but the timing would have to be right and I would have to feel it was appropriate.

It must have just been the timing, or just a time in my life of exploration, but finally my inhibitions started to go away. In 2006 I was working a job that took me out to UBC every afternoon to drop off some of the guys I worked with. Well it was summer and it was hot, and my friend 'J' asked me if I wanted to go down to the famous Wreck Beach. I had never gone and I figured what the heck? Being mountain bikers, we had very expensive and rather heavy downhill bikes in the company van with us. We couldn't leave those unattended so we ended up riding them all the way down the Wreck Beach stairs; something I will never do again. We got a lot of weird looks on the way down and almost took out a few people, but we made it and suddenly there was a strange new landscape before me. I stood in wonder at all the naked people; tall, short, large, skinny, people with tattoos and those without, children, adults, teenagers, both genders, and every race I could imagine, they were all there. I was amazed at what I saw. Here was this wonderful place where everyone was comfortable to be naked around each other. I marvelled that all these different people, obviously from all walks of life, could come together and tear down their societal coverings and become equal. And really that's exactly what I saw, because when everyone's naked, everyone is the same. You can't judge people based on what they wear when they aren't wearing anything at all. It was a wonderful experience, and while it was too soon for me to participate, the scene I saw intrigued me.



I ended up going back a short while later while I had some free time and after taking a deep breath, I disrobed. I put my ipod on and laid on the beach for a while enjoying the feeling of the sun all over my body; a feeling I had never felt before but it felt great. It was so liberating, so unrestrictive, and I didn't need to worry about tan lines! I felt suddenly so comfortable with myself and somehow connected to all the likeminded people around me. I marvelled that instead of being ashamed of my body, I felt much more comfortable with everything out in the open. When we wear clothes, we are hiding ourselves, and I think that whether we are aware of it or not, we feel like everyone else is hiding something and there's an underlying sense of secrecy. It may be very subliminal, but looking back at my feelings that day, that was exactly what I was experiencing.

Well I had my first nude experience out of the way and I was hooked. I went down to Wreck every day I could. On work days when I was doing paperwork or doing call outs, I would bring my books down to the beach and do what I needed in the sunshine in the buff. he he, if only all my clients knew where I was when I was calling them. The rest is history, really. I've met some great people as a nudist, and managed to convince at least one of my textile friends to join in. There's tons I want to experience still and I look forward to all that's in store and yet to explore as a nudist. I'll share some more experiences and ideas in further posts.