Whine while the Moon Shines

For the past month or so now, my beloved bulldog has started this thing where when it gets to be bedtime, he whines and whines, pawing at me. Got a new bed and I purposely made it high enough all the dogs are not able to jump up on it. Smart huh? Gives me the room I finally need  to try and get some good sleep. Being that he is my favorite, I've been hoisting is big fat butt up on the bed most nights and he settles right in. This past 2 weeks, that isn't working anymore. Bed is high enough that he can't really jump down so after a couple of hours, he'll slide over the edge on his belly and plop to the floor, and  off he trots. In about a half hour, he's back again whining to get back up. Okay dog, I get it. Maybe you had to go pee, maybe you were thirsty.

I love all my dogs dearly and Otis especially. Tonight, it has been a non stop barrage of whining, howling and nothing I did seemed to do would make it stop. Checked his ears because he will get ear infections now and then because of his being a bulldog. They were fine. Gave him ear drops anyway as a precaution and because, heck, maybe the one ear IS bothering him. No luck. He was in bed with for maybe 10 minutes and then determined himself to get  down. Went to pick his fat ass up and lower him down and for the first time EVER, he snapped at me. Whoa! This never happens. Otis is the most laid back, docile dog on the frickin planet! Got him down and off he trotted. I went on to bed, lights out, my other two dogs sauntered in and were content to lay on their dog beds beside mine. For the next 2 and 1/2 hours all I heard was Otis whining loudly from the other end of the house.

I lay in bed praying, "Dear God fix whatever is wrong so Otis will quiet down and sleep."At the end of 2 and 1/2 hours he finally gets quiet. I should be happy right?  Well.....My brain went into overdrive thinking, Oh God he's dead! SO I get up, wander into the kitchen and there he lies on the bean bag, sawing logs. Now before you all tear me a new one and preach about why haven't I taken him to the vet, I have a lifelong friend who IS a vet. David and his wife have known me since I was  a little kid and he has  very well known Vet practice here in town. I've reached out to him and was told a few things to look at:

1. Look for any signs of trauma.. well duh

2. Check Otis' belly to see if it is supple and soft or distended. Okay, check.

3. Watch him during the day for unusual movements, limp or other signs he may have an injury. Check

4. Feel his nose.  Ya, think? 

5. Take his temperature. Check.

6. Make sure he has water etc.  They have a big self dispensing water thingy, eat on a routine, have the doggie door to come and go potty as they please. So again, check

7. Check his paw for thorns or bad irritation. That's a good one. Check

8. Keep track of when he whines and if you notice any triggers. Hmm, okay, slight check.

For the most part for a free advice giving session, I'll take it.  

Well tonight, about the time he quieted down, I had gotten on the magical world wide web looking up symptoms of his behavior. Low and behold there were a TON of sites addressing his issues! Who knew?  After wading through page after page for nearly 45 minutes, getting up to check  on him, making coffee, I was drawn to one particular topic which is older aged dogs and things they may start doing. Whining at night, pawing at you, pacing, restlessness. BINGO!! Now what is the cause I asked whimsically in my head.

Apparently older dogs can get dementia, and  also anxiety. The article pretty eloquently explained both and the criteria by which to see if that could be relevant to your dog. 

Some suggestions were of course, see your vet. Others suggested dog therapy, a doggy psychologist and what not. Okay vet I can see doing, a shrink? I don't know about that. Seems a little like hog wash to me, but won't rule it out. Fast forward a half an hour. Coffee is made, cigar lit, I walk over, bend down to love on the ole boy and he just flops on his side as if to say, "HA, hey sucker, rub my belly!" And I  do. At this point, what I am surmising is, since I am now back at work during the day for many hours, and he is not very motivated to get his lazy butt outside like his brothers, he is probably more of less ready to be awake by nightfall and wants attention from daddy. Once he gets his fill, even if that means whining like a failing water pump to do so, then he's content to go to sleep. Since I've been up over and hour now, he hasn't budged. I've been in the kitchen purposely banging around, opening and closing the back door, clinking coffee cups, spoons and hasn't roused yet. 

I am working with horses some now at the new job and they, like dogs, are like people. They all have needs psychologically, physically and emotionally. As a nudist guy, I have always found my therapy in playing music, writing songs, writing my blog posts among other things. My dog can't do any of those things. People however, can. 

We can do things to burn energy, heal our minds and inner self both of which promote therapeutic results.

We can: 

And....

And...

And...

And.. If we are needing a little less active therapy,

So, WE have a lot of options. Our pets may not. Since my work schedule is starting to normalize a little bit now, and my dogs are starting to adjust to my being gone more every day, I think it's time to make a concerted effort to spend more time with them, especially Otis in the mornings before I head off to work. Is it a guarantee that his nighttime behavior will improve or disappear, no. But it's definitely worth a shot and more fair to all of them, especially him, if he is having some anxiety at night and just needing more daddy time. So, once I get back to bed here soon and hopefully get some sleep, come morning, it's "Wake up old lazy boy, we are gonna go outside and do stuff." Unlike people, sadly, dogs are very forgiving and have the agape love that knows no end. I love that about them so so much. We as human beings can learn a great deal from their loyalty, forgiveness and unparalleled commitment to being there for us nearly all of the time. 

As you go about your day today and in the days to come, try and be a little more DOG-MINDED. Loving on people for no reason, having their back, being submissive more and less argumentative. I betcha it will make you not only a better person, but a happier one!

Go enjoy some nude time this week and refresh your mind and heart. And, if you have pets, take them with you when you can. They won't care if you're bare.

I admit it

Happy November! Fall is showing her face now and then and that makes me So happy. I love summer but the humidity and heat here in Florida can really take a toll on you. 

Alright. Let me get right to it. I ADMIT IT!  What on earth am I admitting to now? Ha, good question. I am not one to admit to a whole lot, especially if it involves me making a poor decision, not handling something well or what not. But, in this case, I'm admitting because I think it's for a good cause and purpose.  

How often do we as nudists so long to bring friends and family over to "our" side that we tend to push a bit too much? I know I am guilty. This year I made the decision to be much more vocal in my admittance of being a nudist. Those who know me locally know little about my depth of love for nudism. They know enough to call me insane, crazy and just plain nuts. There may be some truth to those labels but NOT because I am a nudist.

to bring over from one belief, view, or party to another They tried to convert us to their way of thinking.

to exchange for an equivalent 

I hate the word convert. For me, that word is such a demanding and arrogant word. Sway or convince seems much more palatable.  In my quest to expand the awareness among those I know, I have used the social media platforms much more often. Facebook we all know frowns on most everything nudist relater. Twitter is pretty darn tolerant surprisingly, and Instagram, well, they are mediocre I'll say. 

Here is the game plan I've been trying to use.

Facebook: I will make more posts that jokingly allude to things like skinny dipping, no tan lines, comments about going to the lake which is actually Hidden Lake here, our local nudist spot. I also have some nudist friends that I have added on FB and will comment on their posts more often. There are a few in my friend garage that have caught on. Some have messaged me asking, "so you're a nudist? Why?' Open door!!  A few others like my friend, we'll call her Sally, she may comment on my posts and others with some comical reply that points to my lifestyle. I think it's cute and clever. She is definitely not a participant and likely never would be, but she does accept me for who I am.

Twitter: I have only a few follows there, mostly people from high school. These are people who I either haven't seen in decades or have seen just a time or two since. The first time I posted my naked butt, man did I get quite the reactions!  But all but one has stuck around. I've also shared articles on Twitter about nudism, the wholesomeness of it and all of my followers there are supportive and accepting that hey that's just how Gregory is. I love that! I have since posted full frontal nude shots and for the most part, all are supportive.

Instagram: This is a bit more complex. I have friends on there who I know personally, have spent a lot of time with over the years, and others whom I've met through social media, a few high school friends and also two cousins as well as nudist friends from my mewe groups and others. The initial approach on Instagram was to ease everyone into the idea of me being bare and okay with that. I believe my first shot at that was a photo of my lying on the beach sans clothes with a couple of textile volleyball players in the background. Sure, you saw my bare butt but other than that, nothing too shocking. My friend Sally was the first to comment, something along the lines, "you are too crazy!" I think I commented back, "Don't knock it til you try it."  My high school people didn't say a whole lot BUT all but 2 stayed with me. As time went on, I would post things about nudism, being clothes free, body acceptance. More and more likes started to come in. Since then, having added more nudist friends, MY people have really stepped up. Got message just the other day from guy I went to school with and he said I was very brave and he loved my posts. I have just in the past month or so shared photos with my um, bat and balls blurred. Great responses. I seldom get comments or likes from all my people, but I do know they are seeing my posts and choose to stick around. That gives me hope. 

Mewe: (which is my favorite by the way)  Mewe is a very open format. They do not censor, police your posts, send the posting police running after you and they do not farm out your information to advertisers or own your content. Excellent!  So on Mewe, I do not have but maybe two local friends on there at this point. Trying to get people to either come over to mewe from Facebook or at least make an account there has not been successful, YET! On Mewe.com I have a couple of nudist groups that I have had for a couple of years. In fact one of my groups was the very first nudist group ON mewe. Since there have been a lot of groups that have followed suit. Now, on that social media, I can honestly and openly share whatever I like about nudism, my lifestyle, my daily activities and outings. It is fantastic! The interactions available are unparalleled in my book. The friends I have there are all nudist minded with the exception of one, maybe two persons. I promote mewe as often as I can without getting dinged by the FB police. The beauty there lies in the fact I can be who I am, as I am and everyone is cool with it. 

Now as far as the rest of social media or face to face encounters, I may not come right out and say, "Hey bob! Good to see you, oh by the way, I'm a nudist!" If I see an open door, sure I'll go through it boldly and proudly. I was brought up in a very conservative home and nudeness wasn't frowned upon but it darn sure wasn't endorsed either. I remember at around age 12 I got the urge to go sit in the sun nude. I told my mom I was gonna go outside. She came out a little while later, took a gander at me all sprawled out and pretty much just said, "You enjoying yourself?'  I sure was! I think at that point is when I really realized how amazing my body out in nature and the sun really was. It wasn't until after college when I got my first place that I was able to really enjoy time sunning and sitting out on my back deck.  That's not a bad thing, however, I think I would've loved much more if I had grown up as a nudist. 

My advice is this and it's simple. I think we can judge fairly well who among our friends and family will be open minded enough to not run for the hills if you tell them you are a nudist. Then there are others we automatically know will have a holy hell fit. There are those on the fence as well. Being familiar enough with your circle is the key. For those who aren't nudist or may seem to be more straight laced, drop hints in conversations. On a hot day out with them at the beach or river, say something about skinny dipping for example. It may get just a laugh or even an Are you serious?  Both are acceptable responses. You have opened the door. 

To the ones more open minded, extend an invitation to go to a resort or somewhere with you where you know you can be nude and they won't object. They may even join in! I have seen that happen. 

For a lot of people unfortunately, there is body shame, low self esteem and their own lack of acceptance of their body. For men this happens but way more so for women. To overcome that, gently remind these persons that nearly everything they see in magazines or film or tv, has been doctored, photoshopped and made to look amazing. THIS IS NOT REALITY!  Encourage them, compliment, be supportive but do not push! Forcing nudism on anyone even as a playful act will cause so much damage. My ex had a lot of self esteem issues, still does somewhat. But, doing as I have suggested worked with her. She now rarely is dressed and loves it. She isn't one who will be around a crowd and really enjoy it but she has. 

If you look for those open doors, offer opportunities, encourage, educate and inform people whether they be friends, family or perfect strangers, differences can be made. True, none of your people in your circle may even lose their clothes even for a day, let alone come over to our side. That's okay. Having them accept us as we are, respect us, that is paramount. To those who abandon us and leave the fold, that's okay too. Some people are so deeply set it their ways and have been brainwashed by the media, religious beliefs etc. that they will never realize the wholesome joy of nudism. Let them be. They know where you are and who you are. The ones who truly love you, will one day fully accept you. My people have and I am so so thankful.

No matter what you do, just be you. People always appreciate real people who do not hide behind masks and pretend just to satisfy another person or group. Be true to you!  As you head out tomorrow, hold your head high and be confident in your nudist lifestyle. There's not a better way to be.