Naked Friendship - Part 1

Those of you who know me well, know that I have a special attraction or love for bums and homeless people. I have always been curious about understanding or knowing their story. Why or how they got to this place physically, or most importantly emotionally. Yet, some unknown fear always holds me back. I watch them, I say hi to them on occasion and many times I take pictures of them when they are not looking. I have a battle with myself. I argue whether it is appropriate to talk to them, and if I do talk to them what do i say. What if what I say make them mad? What if they just want to be left alone?

I found my self at the beach one early morning, the place I like to visit routinely to simply sit, breath and connect with God. This particular day as I was walking towards the boardwalk heading to the beach, I was in disbelief at what my eyes would see. At the entrance of the beach where the showers are located, there was an older lady possibly in her late 50's, early 60's looking straight at me. I noticed that the people passing by had a weird look in their face. Not sure what they where giggling about or why some had a dismayed look in their eyes. As I got closer to the lady who was looking at me in a very strange way I thought, I realized she was naked form the waist down. There it was mount bush fully exposed. Her saggy aging skin giggled while she scrubbed her toosh with her bare hands. There in the most popular beach boardwalk perhaps in the whole world, with no regards to the people around her and no shame this lady bathing herself partially nude, starring at me. I felt a bit uncomfortable needless to say. Part of me trying to look away and the other part wanting look to confirm what my eyes had seen.

For a few days I tried to rationalize that moment. Why this lady would do something like this. Of course my first thought was "she is crazy" then, well she is probably homeless and has not place to shower. She looked homeless. She was wearing a worn out stringy pink cotton shirt, a raggedy straw hat that had plenty holes to ventilate her head and a towel that looked used and abused hanging from a tree limb. I walked passed her that day never thinking that I would ever see her again.

The following week on a Tuesday morning on my routine walk on the beach, I sat down near the shore to admire the beauty of the ocean, thanking God for His creation, for this place in my life where he had brought me and all of a sudden this same lady shows up and stands about ten steps from me. She looked around as if admiring the same beautiful sea as I was, she lifter her arms up and lets go of the worn out towel uncovering her body from the waist down. I could not believe my eyes. She was wearing the same old straw hat and the same stringy cotton pink shirt and no underwear!!!

I looked around from behind my dark glasses to see if anyone else was seeing what I was seeing. I was embarrassed for her. There was a young couple sitting close by starring with their eyes wide open and giggling  in disbelief. The lady then proceeded to put down on the towel a small zippered wallet she had hanging from a string on her neck, placed her sandals next to it and started walking towards the cold ocean water and began her bathing ritual once again. I could not believe my eyes (It think I said that already-but I really could not believe what I was seeing). This women was partially nude in public, bathing in broad daylight with people watching and had no care in the world. Once she was done washing she walked out of the ocean and began to gather sea shells and putting them in the pouch she had formed with her pink shirt (no need for further details).

I had no doubt in my mind that this woman was homeless and she has no pants, perhaps I should offer her mine- I had my bathing suit underneath. I thought that I could go without this pair, I have plenty at home and this lady really needs them. Then the fear kicked in again. What will I say to her, how will she react, maybe she doesn't want my pants. I couldn't get up although I kept hearing this voice in my head telling me "don't be afraid, just go talk to her" well I tried, I wanted to say something, to walk up to her but then she grabbed her stuff, wrapped the towel around her waist (thankfully) and started walking in the opposite direction.

I felt so bad, I really wanted to give her my pants. I wanted to talk to her, but I couldn't. I looked away and tried to ignore the fact that she was leaving and I didn't listen to what the voice was telling me. Then all of a sudden I looked again to see if she was gone and she was not, she had turned around and was walking towards the boardwalk. I knew this was my chance, this was my only chance to go up to her and offer her my pants. So I picked up my stuff and walked slowly to intentionally meet up with her and as soon as she got close enough to me she said ...