Stories. All of us have millions of stories with unique experiences and lessons to learn. Yet, only a few of us choose to share them with the world. There are beautiful stories of love, connection, friendship, compassion, forgiveness, reunion, sincerity, kindness... And there are stories of hatred, betrayal, animosity, blame, separation, lies, cruelty—they are also beautiful in a way; we just understand that later on.

I’ve always been passionate about sharing my experiences, and maybe that’s why people very easily shared their stories with me. Why keep secrets when there’s no one to judge you? Intimate conversations give us the possibility to feel free, like on a nude beach—putting off every layer of clothes, exposing your naked body to nature, and washing off all the judgment about yourself, all the worn-out beliefs that condition who you think you are. And when you are completely naked, you can finally dive into this boundless sea of being yourself.

Have you ever been to a nude beach? I went there a couple of times as a teenager, and I will never forget this experience. Total freedom and connection. When the wind caresses your body, it reaches all of you. When the sun shines over you, there are no barriers to soaking in all the warmth. And an absolutely amazing feeling comes when entering the water—a little cool, but warm enough to find comfort in its embrace and let it flow through you. I loved to lie on my back, relaxing my body and allowing the thick, salty mixture to hold me. I remember those moments as some of the most intimate in my life.

People around? Sure. Nobody is watching because everybody is having their own moment. And even if someone watches you—does it really matter? It’s just one more expression of nature.

Of course, I have a story about a very good-looking but somewhat clueless lifeguard who tried to flirt with me and my girlfriend when we showed up there for the first time. It was a little bit annoying and very funny. We were just lying in silence, enjoying the sun when he paraded between us, turned around, exposing his treasure mindfully, and asked:

“Ladies, do you need company?”

We already had a beforehand-prepared answer:

“Sorry, we are here together. Not interested in men.”

In our young, naive minds, it had to work perfectly. But we miscalculated.

“Well, maybe you would like a third party? I am completely at your service.”

The guy looked even more excited, flexing his muscles and turning from side to side slowly, trying to show off. I don’t think it was a conscious effort, though.

Of course, he tried to start a conversation—asking where we were from and telling us about himself. But his shadow was covering a big part of my body, and I started to get shivers. It was aggravating.

“Hey, can you find a better place to stand? You’re blocking out all the sun for me. And thank you, but we are not interested in your service.”

He looked disappointed but didn’t argue and went away. We giggled about it for a bit and returned to our silent retreat.

So yes, there will always be people who seek something from you, especially when you are completely naked. But remember the story about Buddha and the angry man? If you don’t like what people bring into your life, just don’t accept those gifts.

I created Warm Water to share my experiences so they can be beneficial for others. But I also want to create a dialogue and space for others to share their stories. So please feel free to comment with any thoughts you have in mind. Unfortunately, I can't enable the comment section on my blog right now for technical reasons, so I invited you to comment on the Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/15pmaRhFDN/

This post is just a humble beginning. Let’s see what unfolds in the future.