AANR Western Regional General Assembly 2024
August 9-11, 2024
Shangri La Ranch


AANR Western Regional Fall Board Meeting
November, 2024

Secret Garden Gathering

Tucked away in the heart of the bustling city, concealed by vine-laden walls and thick hedges, lay the Secret Garden. Within these hidden walls, urban dwellers found respite from their constricting lives. It was a green wonderland, invisible to those outside its confines; a spot of tranquility amidst the concrete jungle. But to Jenna and her companions, it held another function—it was the host of their monthly naturist meeting, the Secret Garden Gathering.

Jenna, a mid-forties architect with a love for simplicity and purity, was the founder of this little-known community. It was an inclusive, judgment-free group of people, bonding over the shared love for naturism and the unparalleled freedom it provided. Jenna’s penthouse apartment owned the rooftop where the Secret Garden bloomed, an ideal location for their clandestine gatherings.

The last Friday of the month was always eagerly awaited. The members arrived individually, slipping through Jenna's regular door and ascending the staircase to the rooftop. A mischievous twinkle adorned their eyes, a collective secret they all shared. Ascending the stairs, they shed their urban wear, giving in to the liberating feeling of their nakedness. Their clothes, folded and left in wooden lockers, shed their common identities, replaced by the unmistakable feeling of human authenticity.

Stepping out onto the rooftop, they were greeted by the sight of the Secret Garden. Blooming flowers matted the ground, their varied hues under the canopy of stars serving as the perfect natural carpet. Jasmine and lavender scented the air, their fragrance mingling with the earthy aroma of the garden, creating a heady perfume that was as rejuvenating as it was calming.

Candles were the only source of light, flickering gently, casting dancing shadows on their nude bodies. They basked under the soft caress of the evening breeze, their bare skin cool against the earth and warm under the flickering candle flames and the moonlight. The city noise felt a million miles away, held back by the thick foliage surrounding them, a muted soundtrack that accentuated the tranquility within.

Conversations flowed smoothly, drifting from work to art, from philosophy to the purest forms of nature, with hearty laughter punctuating the peaceful silence. They sipped on homemade herbal tea and nibbled on garden-fresh canapes, their bodies temporary canvases painted by the soft lights, and their stories echoed in hushed whispers.

In the midst of shared stories and confessions, the sheltering stems and blossoms stood silent witness to introspections and revelations. Each petal, each brush of an orchid against bare skin, each sighting of a hummingbird hovering near a flower felt profound.

Interactions in the Secret Garden Gathering never bordered on the erotic. Instead, they teetered on purity, on accepting oneself and others, and on looking beyond the physical. Any newcomer was always respectfully introduced to this ethos, ensuring the sacred space of acceptance remained untarnished.

When dawn approached, they lapsed into a shared silence, simply lying back on the grass, gazing at the receding night sky. As the city began stirring awake beneath them, their bare bodies stood out boldly under the encroaching sunlight, their shadows reaching out to the corners of the garden. It was a moment of zenith before the inevitable plummet back into their everyday realities.

Clothing themselves felt like a necessary step back into society—like reapplying a mask they'd only just removed. The Secret Garden Gathering was the solitary place where they enjoyed authentic reality, where they embraced their naked truths. Inspired and recharged, they plunged back into the urban flow, carrying with them the echoes of the Secret Garden's allure.

Jenna waved her friends goodbye, a satisfying calm resonating within her. This secret ritual in the heart of the city was more than just a gathering of bare bodies. It was a celebration of raw existence, a reminder of embedded connections in nature, and a testament to the power of liberation derived from the purest form of being.