The Bay Area

I like to post articles I think share the uniqueness of the Bay Area. Here's another good one:

San Franciscans who prefer to have their food in the nude are facing opposition. Last Thursday, the ironically named Supervisor Scott Wiener proposed an ordinance on public nudity etiquette that would require nudists dining in restaurants to forgo their naturalist ways and don clothing.

Public nudity is legal in San Francisco as long as the nude individual is not in a state of arousal. But last Thursday's meeting of the Board of Supervisors' Public Safety Committee resulted in a ruling that, if approved by the full Board, will ban practicing nudists from public eateries, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Wiener's proposal also requires those in the buff to place down a towel or barrier of some sort before they sit down on public seating.

"San Francisco is a liberal and tolerant city, and we pride ourselves on that fact," Supervisor Wiener said in a statement. "Yet, while we have a variety of views about public nudity, we can all agree that when you sit down naked, you should cover the seat, and that you should cover up when you go into a food establishment."

The hearing did not draw the throngs of nude enthusiasts that the committee expected. Only two individuals showed up to testify and they were for Wiener's proposal. The ban is not thought to be an attempt to outlaw nudity in San Francisco altogether but rather is a simple issue of public health.

Why?

As a follower of Jesus I'm regularly challenged by why I do things. Why did I move to Santa Cruz? Why share the love of Christ? Why serve? Why love? Why do I do the things I do for Jesus?

I ask this question of myself because this is where I find a great deal of tension in my own life. I feel as if my desire to do these things often results in less than expected results; this leads to my disappointment & I then wonder if what I've done was"worth it." Too, I often wonder if what I'm doing is only for myself so that I feel o.k with the insecurity of  whether or not I matter.

Yet today, as I was sitting out on the ocean waiting for good waves, I was struck by the revelation that I generally do what I do not because of my devotion to God, but for the results themselves. Results aren't bad; they are the outcome of our actions. Yet am I living my life in order to get results or am I living my life because I'm loved & in love with God? One never ceases to amaze; the other never satisfies.

Today I dropped into a really big wave (9ft+) & barely made the  landing. People were hollering, as they often do on a great wave, & I felt the rush of my results; yet by the end of my surf session I was tired, & those who had witnessed my earlier exploits were gone, & I was surrounded by a new group of people who were snagging all the waves making me feel kinda' lame. The fulfillment of my results didn't last even 2hrs; why not just enjoy the water?

I'm not convinced results are the goal in almost any venture. 

This is no simple task, but I want to do what I do because I'm loved; Too, I want to do because I deeply believe in what it is I'm doing regardless of what "happens." I assume real art results from this perspective. I want to be who I am because it's worship. I want to alleviate myself of what was never mine: The Outcome.

Easier said than done.