In the past 5 days I have bathed nude in natural bodies of water an equal amount of times. I’m also pleased to report that I’ve managed my first full week of daily bowel movements. Praise the Lord, she’s living the dream!

And now: a bit more on the topic of bathing…

Follow the dirt path down, down, duck beneath 3 low boughs. There, tucked around the last tree in a row, you’ll find the river. The bank is a thin strip of sloped, supple mud, bearing traces of a right heel here, a splay of left side toes there. But now: it belongs to us as we step gingerly forward, testing the water with a big toe. The current is quick; it points the way.

Forward, forward, beneath the third tree on the far side of the stream. I hang my towel on an outstretched limb, shedding my clothing unto a lush blanket of fairytale moss. Beneath the branches, beneath the leaves, beneath the midmorning sun, I stand naked. The crisp water sluices past my bare shins & I am completely content.

-K

^ Skinny-dipping in Lake Pukaki, with Mt. Cook hovering tentatively in the distance.