Look Good Naked

I used to workout to look good naked. Now, I workout so I don’t have a heart attack. As we get older, our priorities shift. At least they should. 

For me, there was an awakening as I got older. Things became important for different reasons. While for the most part, I have always danced to the beat of my own drum, I rarely sought after outside validation. But as time added up, inside creation became my vice. I wanted to live life in a way that made sense to me. I wanted to love so deeply, that any hint of sorrow, despair, hurt or pain would be obliterated. And that’s exactly what I did.

It wasn’t an overnight change. It was {and is} an ongoing process. I slowed down. I wanted to hear the trees speak. I wanted the sun to penetrate my soul. I wanted not only to be heard, but to actually take time not only to listen, but to try and understand. And with every passing year, I feel I am getting closer to that Zen state. 

I use the analogy of working out to look good naked. The older I get, the internal has become far more important than the external. Don’t get me wrong. I still want to look good for my wife. But it is more important that I am good to her. It’s the little things that keep us together. We both are constantly growing. By doing that, the relationship is always new. New conversations, new places and new activities. It’s like that euphoric love that we all experience in the beginning, but with unending trust. 

If you truly want to experience the outside world, you must first let go of the notion that the outside world knows what is best for you. Dress the way you want. Dance the way you feel. Love like there is an endless supply of it. Because guess what? There is. And all the external bullshit that you buy into on a daily basis will not lead you to your authentic self. And being something that you’re not, will not make you look good naked.

So if you want to be free, you’re going to have to strip down and honor yourself. Flaws and all.