To me, there's nothing more sensual than being outside. Of course I adore warm, cozy blankets, beautiful fires and lovely buildings, both inside and out. I like to be comfortable. But walking through natural surroundings is inspirational to me. Creatively, sensually and spiritually, lifting me away from the irritability of electronics and mayhem, and delivering me back to the lap of mother nature.
Perhaps there is nothing more cliche than a mermaid, or a woodland goddess, her hair flowing in locks of oceanic splendor, her breasts like two ripe fruit, waiting to be picked from her chest. And while I don't subscribe, per se, to a pagan system of belief, I do understand the historical, archetypal, ancient and mysterious tie-in between our sexuality, our creativity, our sensuality, our spirituality and our femininity with the woods, the wind, the fierce winter on our necks, the soft summer breezes brushing against the palms of our hands.
It makes me wonder if the hard core sexuality we see around us so often these days isn't directly related to the reduction of time young people spend outdoors and the increase in the amount of time they spend on their computers, gaming, or watching television. The environment is a hot-button issue as it has been for years; when I was a canvasser for Greenpeace in 1989 we were as concerned about toxins in the atmosphere as we are today, but kids still played outside.
Today we are concerned enough to build hybrid cars and kids don't play outside; they talk to their friends not over games of kickball and hikes, but online.
When we were young and developing our sense of who we were as sensual people, we felt the air on our skin more, we moved around.
Ice skating with my fourth grade class, playing 'Run, Catch and Kiss' until we were red and sweating with exhaustion.
These things echo in the hallways of my sensuality, bringing me back to nature and, really, myself.
The next time you need a jump start for the novel you are writing, or the photograph you want to take; the date you want to feel great about or the hot sex you think you may have, just take a moment to walk outside for a little while, even if it's below 10 degrees. You may find the blood rushing to warm you up, pumping through your system like a runaway train.
Aimee Boyle is thankful her dog gets her outside by 5:00am every day.