Standing in the shower one morning last week, the phrase “naked joy” sprang into my mind.
Now, this isn’t a dirty post…though I was in the shower.
Really, it’s about contentment. Happiness with myself NO MATTER WHAT.
Truthfully, it took me a LOOOOOOOONG time to find my naked joy.
In my pre-teens, I felt awkward and ugly. And being the new kid (Navy brat, here ?♀️) in 7th grade and then again in a new school for 8th grade, I struggled. I wanted to be cool and fit in, but I also wanted the ground to swallow me up so I could be invisible.
High school was moderately better because I made a small group of friends (looking at you Kate Matney Cardone, Stacy Wood, and Kathy Austin McCarthy) who were a lot of fun and whom I could count on.
My college years and into my 20’s were tumultuous, confusing, and full of figuring out life. I did a lot of things the hard way. I struggled. And most of the time, I felt pretty damn alone.
Life got dramatically better in my 30’s. I finally finished my Bachelor’s Degree. I started my own business, bought my own house, and, the thing that changed my life – I started kayaking.
And once I started kayaking, a whole lot more naked joy entered my life (and I’m not just talking about skinny dipping with friends in the lake or pool or that one-time camping by the river with a group of friends where one of them – who shall remain nameless – woke up with no pants). No, I’m talking about JOY – the joy of having a group of friends who were my PEOPLE. We got together regularly for kayaking, gathered for rowdy, crazy-fun parties, dated each other sometimes, and traveled A LOT.
I also discovered coaching in my 30’s. The first coach who taught me about softening was Maria Gamb – Change Agent. I reached out to her because I felt like I need a swift kick in the ass about growing my business. Instead, she asked me how much I loved myself.
That made me squint and say, “Huh?” and pretty much started my journey towards learning to love myself and to embrace my joy.
I think all of this came up while I was in the shower because, frankly, life is hard right now. Dealing with the ever-changing landscape of someone with Alzheimer’s disease is difficult, confusing, and frustrating. I am also squarely in menopause, which has given me anxiety, sweaty nights (not the fun the kind), occasional acne ?and weight gain.
And, as I stood there enjoying the cold air and hot shower water, I was experiencing some real naked joy. Not worried about my “estrogen belly.” Not caring so much that my labs yesterday showed my cholesterol is still a little too high. And not worried about the number on the scale.
I was just in the moment of pleasure that a hot shower on a cold morning brings.
Naked joy.
No matter what’s happening, does it show up in your life regularly?