Naked

Many, if not all of us, know what it is like to be naked in a physical sense. If you were to ask your best friend the question "Do you know what it's like to be naked?" they would probably look at you funny and answer you with an awkward, "Uhh, yes?"

At birth, we are naked. During a shower, we are naked. During intercourse, we are sometimes naked. And, sometimes, we are naked just to be naked and walk around our houses in our lonesome or with our life partners. I myself have been naked in my life more times than I can count, with more partners than I care to share, and I've enjoyed walking around with nothing on in my lonesome.

However, when I think of being "naked," I'm not just referring to physical nudity.

Not many of us know what it is like to be spiritually and mentally naked around anyone. Not many of us know what it's really like to bear your soul to someone and be open with them, even if you know you have a chance of getting hurt. Not many of us know what it feels like to have someone see right through you and not be scared of what they see, even if they wind up judging you for it in the end.

We are often afraid to be vulnerable in life. Sometimes, this is because we have been too hurt in the past by those we thought we loved that we have put up boundaries and barriers around ourselves to shield us from ever experiencing the same thing over again. Sometimes, this is because society tells us that vulnerability is a weakness. Society tells us that we're too emotional or too anxious and we start making changes to ourselves to compromise for what society tells us that we should be. Society tells us that we will not find the right partner if we are too open and honest and trusting with everyone we come across. Society tells us that we will not find the right job if we allow ourselves to be "too open" or "too much" of anything.

What do I say to this? I say that I want to be naked. I want to bear my soul to someone who will not use it to their advantage but we will see me as I'm meant to be. I want to be my authentic self everywhere that I go and not have to sacrifice parts of me just to fit into a mold. I want to go where I'm meant to go and do the things I'm meant to do while being open and vulnerable to anything and anyone. I want to be loved for being a spiritual being and for knowing what I want and who I am.

I've shown people bits of my soul before and been hurt many times.I've been judged and I've been dumped. I've lost friends along the way in my life. But, I still want to be naked. I still want to be seen not as someone who is expendable and replaceable, but as someone who is a valuable everywhere I go. I want people to know me by how unafraid I am of being who I am.

I suppose I'm like that because there isn't much that I fear anymore, but I just want to be accepted for who I am. For my faults and flaws. For my achievements and successes. For the things that make me tick. For the scars of my past. For the heart I have. For the words I write. For the things I do, be them good, bad, or ugly.

I don't care who sees me. I just want to be naked.