Skinny Dipping relieves stess

There is a lot of stress in the World right now. Good Lord, it weighs heavily doesn't it?

Politics, War, Finances, Natural disasters, Health Problems - just to name a few. I'm a worrier. I always have been. And on top of that, I have such deep empathy for other people - people that I don't even know, that sometimes I'm afraid to watch the news. But I do anyway. It doesn't do any good to stick your head in the sand.

My 81 year old Mother is having trouble with a legal technicality with Wells Fargo. She has a lot of equity in her home, and she has Never even been late on a payment. But that is a long dreadful story. I can't stand for my Mom to worry and be so upset. She has already had to be hospitalized a few times because her blood pressure has gone out of control over this issue with Wells Fargo. I'm scared for her.

One of my sisters has to have Brain Surgery this coming Wednesday, Aug. 17th. She accidentally hit her head while cleaning her house and they found out she has a tumor just above her eyes in the front of her head. They won't really know how bad it is until they get in there. But we've all been saying so many Prayers, that I am coping with it better that I thought I could when I first learned of it.

I am also a novelist, and I worry about deadlines and marketing and promotions. I also have a lot of correspondence to keep up with. I do my best, but still I can't always get back to everyone. And I have three sons. They are the joy of my life - but a Mother always worries.

So, having said all of that, you may not be surprised to hear that I woke up with a pain in my neck the other day. It got steadily worse throughout the day and pretty soon people could tell just by looking at me that I was in pain. I couldn't turn my head to the left or the right, so I was probably pretty funny looking.

Friends on Facebook came up with a myriad of suggestions about how to relieve this pain. Pretty creative people over there - lol. Another friend of mine even said she was experiencing the same thing at the same time, and yes, she's a worrier like me.

I finally took an Alieve, although I don't like to take any medication. My husband rubbed my shoulders, though I really didn't want anyone to actually touch my neck. The medicine didn't work and I was hoping that I would just sleep it away.

The next morning, I was disappointed to find that there was no discernible improvement. A lot of people had suggested that maybe a glass or two of wine would help. And it did, briefly. Or at least it made me think it did. - (grin)

Then yesterday we had a rare cloudy day here in North Texas. We even broke the 40 straight days of over 100 degree weather. So I went outside and tested the water in our swimming pool. I usually get in the pool several times a week. It's not a very deep pool, I think maybe five feet at the deepest, so I have been staying out of it lately. I don't like the thought of boiling.

Surprisingly, I guess because of the cloudy day, the water felt good. Suddenly I realized another rare thing had occurred. All of our children were gone - at the same time. We have a private backyard, and the water looked and felt so appealing, that the thought "Carpe Diem," kept running through my mind. Sieze the Day! And so I did. I removed my shorts and jumped in - okay, that's not quite true. Because of my sore neck and back, I gingerly walked down the steps into the pool, wearing only my t-shirt and underwear.

Oh wow! It felt incredibly good. I love to swim and stretch out in the water. It was so cloudy that I didn't even need sunglasses. It was freeing. But after a while, I realized that the t-shirt started to feel constraining and heavy. I had to take it off. Remember this is just a PG hub. Nothing going on here except the liberating feeling of the moment. The wonderful blue water and the beautiful waterfall at one end. There was even a breeze blowing.

I had so much fun. Swimming under the water, floating on top of the water, watching the wind blow the trees and flowers. Looking up at the clouds. I did something that is pretty hard for me to do. I RELAXED!

Every worry and scared and dark thought just left my mind as I frolicked and played like a dolphin. Just stepping out of the box for just a little while, reveling in the moment, the tension just drained out of me. It was exhilarating!

Once I had gotten out of the pool and taken a shower, I realized how much better my neck and back was feeling. I had to wonder, was it because of the exercise in the pool? Or did the fact that I had momentarily let go of my worries have the most to do with it?

I could never go to a nudist colony, or even a nude beach. But in the privacy of my own backyard, wearing only the skin God has graced me with - outside - was really awesome.

So, I am recommending it to anyone that finds themselves in the situation I was in. The pain was so bad, I just couldn't unwind. Until I went skinny dipping. I have a feeling it won't be the last time. Now I need to start thinking of ways to get everyone out of the house again at one time. (big sigh) Those times are few and far between, so I'll just have to be creative.

And so should you! We all need to find a way to giggle and relax. I wish I could feel that relaxed more often, and I also wish it for you. That is why I am sharing my story.

Peace be with You!

KT