The Person Underneath.

"Full nakedness! All joyes are due to thee,
As souls unbodied, bodies uncloth'd must be,
To taste whole joyes."
- John Donne, Elegie XIX

There is the person everyone knows. The side of you and I that is funny, charming, happy, sexy. The mask we wear when we know anyone is looking.
What about when we are alone? What about the moments no one else sees? Do we still wear the masks?
I hope to god that I take off everything when I am alone. I hope I look at my bare body, my bare thoughts, and see me - the true me, the being that exists deep down underneath it all.

I found myself on top of a rock in Utah, overlooking a gorgeous blue lake. As the sun beamed across my face, boats zipped along below me. The warmth, the breeze, the rock, the water - it all came together right then.. I could accept it all, I could accept myself. No additives. No lies. No shell. No mask. Just me - alone on a rock with myself and the earth. I wanted to feel as naked with myself as possible, I wanted to be vulnerable, to be stripped of everything that I believe, and everything that others believe about me.
I took off my clothes, walked to the edge of the rock, stretched out my arms, and roared. It felt amazing. Every lie, everything false, it all just melted away into the wind. For the first time, I was able to forget to "Be someone", and I just existed as myself..
Naked.
Bare.
Real.
Solid.

I don't think we truly believe, that deep down inside something amazing exists. We are soooo scared to let it all go, with our guard down and our clothes off, to let people see the real us.
I want to be naked more often.





(Andrew Tipton)