When You're Naked, There's Nothing Left

You're stripped of everything that brings you security

And with 100's of people around you, there's nowhere to hide...

A few years back, I would have just skipped the shower and toughed it out

But when you're at a music festival in the middle of summer, that's full of dust and dirt

There is nothing better than taking a nice cold shower, and cleansing your body

You instantly feel refreshed and gain new energy for another day of dancing

But there's one problem, the lines can be extremely long for the showers

Especially during the late morning and again around sunset as well

In fact, the line seemed to grow longer with each passing day

Why? I think most people skip the shower the first 2 days

That wasn't an option for me though, I needed a rinse

But by day 3 of the festival, the line was too long

And I needed to find a new shower solution

Luckily, we camped right next to water

And I had a few things I could use

Time to improvise my friends...

Bottle and Sponge

If you've ever been to a music festival

Then you should understand the infrastructure

If you haven't, this is what we are dealing with most times...

There is a camping section outside the actual venue of stages and music

It's usually split into some different areas like VIP Camping, Campers, and Tents

For this most recent experience, I was staying in the tent area, which is usually my choice

There's something special about camping together and interacting with neighbors

It's not like a normal campground with designated areas, it's a total free for all

Luckily, we arrived a few hours before the gates opened to get in the line

And we were able to get a decent camping spot next to some water

Not only is this great for filling water bottles and drinking, etc.

It's great for brushing your teeth and showering as well

But the faucets are small, and you can't get under

So you need to fill a bottle with water instead

And pour it over yourself/body to rinse

While using a sponge to clean

It's not too bad at all...

Naked or Not?

I could have worn my swimsuit

But I was wearing it every day dancing

And I wanted it to feel like a shower not a rinse

Meaning I needed to clean my entire body...everything

One more problem, there's no privacy in the tent camping area

Yeah, they have the showers, but as I said, the lines were now too long

This meant that it was easiest to stand out by the water station and do my thing

But before I did, I remembered all the fear I used to have inside of me

All the insecurities about myself and my body and who I was

Memories of being scared to change in the lockers

Memories of all the bullying from years ago

Memories of my own families words

But now I block it all out easily

And down the suit went

I was totally free...

Unexpected Growth

Now, while I showered

100's of people walked right by me

I have no idea who looked, but some surely did...

In the end, I was only concerned with getting myself clean

Which meant I needed to focus on cleaning and not on the passers-by

If you translate that, it means I was worried about me and not the noise around me

And when that happens, you get into the zone and feel complete tranquility

All the insecurity and fear spills off you like the water on your body

There's nothing left there but you and what's inside your soul

It's similar to being a creator in a way as well my friends

Once you strip away all the insecurity and doubt

You're just left to create, share and inspire

The canvas is finally blank for you

No more hiding/covering up

You can be yourself...

The Lesson

We are all different

And we all get dealt a different card

But you have to attempt to step away from all the BS...

I spent so many years wanting to impress the people around me

But it wasn't until I started to try and impress myself that things began changing

And I did this by investing more in my health (mental & physical), wellness, and spirituality

Which allowed me to better align with my core values, goals and aspirations in life

This alignment then removed a lot of the insecurity I was carrying around

And I was able to see things in myself I had never seen before

Things that others have seen in me for a long time

So, when I stood there naked by the water

I acknowledged all the work I put in

To get to the place I am today

Standing with nothing

But everything...

What are you doing to invest in your health, wellness, and spirituality?

With Love,

Steven Arthur George