Sowing the seeds of anarchy

 April 23,  2016

It was during a barbecue at our house that my mom’s friend Lana brought up the Muir Grove.  Lana was my mom’s ceramic studio pal, a quirky thirty-something art chick who was always trying new diets or training for some 10K run or bike race.  Lana was sitting in a lawn chair in our back yard, suspiciously poking at the coleslaw on her paper plate, when she casually mentioned how relaxing her last visit to the local naturist resort had been.   My mom looked over at me, motioning for me to go join the group of adults enjoying the karaoke machine in the family room, but I really preferred to stay for this conversation.

“You really ought to go and just relax for a day.  Make a girl’s day of it and take Val with you.” Lana said with a wink.  

“What’s the resort like?”  I asked her.

“Oh, its just like any other relaxing family park, only you don’t have to wear clothes.  Trust me Val, its awesome!”

I never really thought about being naked much before, but ever since Lana gave us that mischievous wink, I really wanted to try it.  Being an average, boring kid was, well...  making me go numb.  With every day that passed, it just seemed more and more absurd; a place exists that will let me run around naked, and I’m not there!  I’m here in this suburban coma.  

I soon started to beg my mother to take me to the resort.  Although I could tell she was very annoyed at Lana for brining it up, she didn’t want to appear prudish, and remained open to the idea.  My father didn’t object to us going, he just wanted nothing to do with it.  After I harassed my mom enough, we finally got into the car one April morning and headed to the Muir Grove Sun Academy.  

I was surprised my mom took me, and even more surprised when she ended up really liking it.  I don’t think it was getting naked that my mom really enjoyed, but the social part of it.  My mom is actually a really outgoing, absurdly social person.  Not too many people lived up to her level of openness, but at Muir Grove, everyone was a quirky, wide open book.  We were instantly accepted as family, introduced around and my mom smiled at me like she had found her people.  After watching her for the first half hour, I knew we’d be back.