I’m getting naked.

Stripping down to my very soul.

Wiping away the war paint that’s been so carefully applied in order to hide the blemishes and accentuate only the positive attributes.

I’m letting go of what you think I should look like, or sound like, or act like.

Letting go of what I believe you think of me—and what I think about it. Because I know my guesses are just that—and I’ll never really know for sure. And, even if I did know, does it really matter?

All I can offer is myself.

The me with the imperfections.

The me that doesn’t always have the right answer to give, or know the right question to ask.

The me that is searching daily for truth and meaning in this life.

The me that wants to be swallowed whole by the softness of a perfect moment.

Just like you.

I want to see your naked side, too.

Not just the part that’s revealed when you remove your clothes…but the part that’s revealed, layer by layer, when you set aside your own hurts and shames and uncertainties and expectations.

I want to see the parts of you that tremble with fear…and with joy.

Can we pick them up, one by one, and examine them together? Can we hold them in our gentle hands and turn them upside down and inside out and then offer them up to the wind?

I want to unlock all the secrets and see all the superpowers.

Can we breathe together?

Just sit and breathe, slowly and softly and methodically, in and out, synchronized, telling all our secrets with every inhale and exhale.

And with that breath, can we become one? Friend, sister, lover, stranger, passerby…no matter. We can be one.

Connected.

Understanding.

Naked.

Imperfect.

Together.

Relephant:

How to Be Naked.

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Author: Becky Vollmer

Editor: Travis May

Photo: Flickr/Lindsay Stanford

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