fish naked. ski naked. bake naked. hike naked.
These have always been weird to me, because I get mental images of people doing these things. Naked. Some seem wrong. Others seem painful. All seem a tad inappropriate for this family-friendly household.
Speaking of hiking naked, did you know that July 21st is actually Hike Naked Day? No joke. Not that I have ever participated, nor plan too, it’s pretty big in Colorado. Guess it’s all those mountains we have. Too enticing for one to wear clothes – although it seems that the average person with an ounce of common sense would be aware of all the bugs and lifeforms that exist in the mountains, the dirt and in Aspen and Evergreen trees. Some are so microscopic, you’d never see them. But mosey out into the woods naked and you might soon find out you don’t have to see them for them to see you. And get on you.
Gross.
So, if I were you, I’d skip Hike Naked Day and lean towards something else with more of a purpose. Serving.
Serving naked.
Two years ago hubby and I took the plunge and did just that and we haven’t looked back. This one decision has given our life as individuals and a as couple, purpose and authenticity.
First, this is a little different than my normal style of post, but last weekend we did an outreach to bless a single mom with an 18 month old son – and it reminded me once again why we are making all these changes in this season of our lives.
Let me explain.
Sometimes people can lose their authenticity, the core of who they are, in the routine of life. I don’t think it’s ever intentional, just par for the course. We lose our purpose, our passion, our drive and our dreams. Why? Simply put, as Charley wrote in his last post, we become like ants. The same ants Dave Matthews sang about about in the band’s infamous song, Ants Marching.
And all the little ants are marching
Red and black antennas waving
They all do it the same
They all do it the same way
If I were to be honest, I would say that we were becoming much like these ants. Coming. Going. Doing the same thing everyday. Have you ever looked out the window when you’re flying 40,000 feet above the earth? Every time we fly somewhere, I observe the traffic down below and say to my husband, “It reminds me of a bunch of ants.” The rat race has even come to mind. This makes me sad, to see how the human race is just coming and going, doing the same thing day after day, just to exist. Life becomes stagnant.
This is a place I never wanted to be, but had to admit, that I was walking a pretty fine line between living and existing. I could say the same for my favorite “software geek” husband who has been at the same job for 16 years now. Driving 120 miles a day, Monday-Friday. To do it all the same. Day after day. And not for a career he considers to be his life long dream.
We needed something to breath life into our lives again and we both knew what it was.
Serving others.
Over the course of 7 years at a church we attended a while back, we served in the youth ministry (6 years), as deacons (2 years), I was in the women’s ministry (5 years), taught classes, and was a contributor to their magazine – and we did it because we love people and love serving people. After we moved, we no longer did any of this and I knew something was missing. We didn’t want to go back to the “ants marching” way of serving people – we wanted something different. We had a dream.
So we jumped on that dream and this husband and wife team founded a non-profit. An avenue for us to serve and love on everyday people in unique ways. But we needed a name. A name that would fit our purpose. Our desire. Our character. It needed to reflect how we wanted to interact with those we served with and those we served -with our time, our bodies, our hands.
Authentic. Raw. Transparent.
All that = naked.
This is when Naked Hands was birthed.
Our hands serving people with Love, with compassion, with authenticity, with no ulterior motive.
Definition for ulterior motive:
“An alternative or extrinsic reason for doing something, especially when concealed or when differing from the stated or apparent reason.”
Talk about purpose. Purpose beyond ourselves. Purpose beyond “my four and no more.” Purpose that leaves an impact on the world around us.
We found ours. At least a portion of it. I’m sure more of the picture will be revealed as times goes on, but for now, this is where we are suppose to be. Serving.
We have grown tired of the day to day. Not each other, not our kids, not our friendships, but the routine. We remain grateful for the journey we have had to get to where we are today and are amazed at how God has carried us these past 17 1/2 years as a couple and family, but we know it’s time to step out of the boat and take a walk that most people never will. I will forever be grateful to my parents for instilling in me the desire to always move forward. To believe. To dream.
We launched Naked Hands, our dream, on January 28, 2017! It is a family-friendly outreach and each month we find ways to bless people that may normally get overlooked. Such as nurses, teachers, law enforcement, single mothers, The Ronald McDonald Houses, those in recovery from surgery, road crews, the person behind you in the drive-thru, and more! There is nothing that can compare to watching people in utter amazement and shock when you do something that, in reality, is small, yet it means the world to them.
Spreading kindness, love and compassion to others and in return, those same people turning around and “paying it forward”. In the day and hour we live in, this is so refreshing. Love without conditions. Love with no ulterior motives. So, how does this look when we’re on the road for a year? Well, we take Naked Hands on the road with us. As of now, we are planning on serving in the local rescue mission of each capital city we visit. We want to meet new people and hear their stories – because doesn’t everyone have a story? Another part of our dream to be revealed at a later date. But everyone has a story.
You do. We do. Shouldn’t our stories be wonderful? Full of life? Inspiring? Can I challenge you to look at your day to day routine differently? What if we all chose to do at least one thing everyday that would impact someone else’s life for the better? It doesn’t have to be grande or crazy. Just simple things. Buy someone lunch. Pay for the person behind you in the drive-thru line. Give someone at work a $10 gift card to get lunch somewhere. Bring your child’s teacher a treat from the bakery. Give the bus driver hot chocolate on a cold morning. Just love people. Serve people. With transparency. With authenticity.
To us, this is really living. I know everyone’s purpose is different. Everyone has different desires, dreams and pursuits. Again, this is what makes life so wonderful. Who wants to be like a bunch of ants marching around ALL doing the SAME thing each and every day?
Not this family. May our paths someday cross, so we can add to our story and make this next chapter of our lives the best it’s ever been!
photo taken at the Ronald McDonald House of Denver during our Christmas Outreach 2017