Norris Lake Magic
Still dreaming about 2 days we spent on Norris Lake, TN back in June. We had so many family adventures finding secret coves, jumping off the boat, and watching the sun rise over the clear, green water. I’ve swam in several lakes, and it’s the cleanest I’ve ever swam in for sure. After so many years here, Tennessee keeps surprising me: I didn’t even know this lake existed until recently.
Norris Lake is north of Knoxville and south of Lexington, KY in an area that’s pretty winding and off-the-beaten path, but the drive was lovely from our home in Santa Fe, TN. When driving out east, we always stop at the Knoxville Whole Foods for some healthy lunch and snacks, so we did that on the way before the last leg of the trip into Norris Lake. We stayed in a condo in Deerfield Marina that we rented through VRBO. It wasn’t fancy, but the view from the balcony was 💯.
We went during the week, and there were literally no other boats on the lake our first morning there. We had our pick of any one of these gorgeous, dreamy coves.
I think we’re lake people more than beach people now. There’s just something about the lake that calms us, makes us slow down, and also makes for the best fun. Norris Lake, we’ll be back!
Three years ago, I wrote this post: “The Liberation of Lake Life: A Body Image Manifesto” that led to me being discovered by a book editor. It’s about an experience I had at a different Tennessee lake (Center Hill Lake) one weekend with friends, and it’s one of the most vulnerable things I’ve ever written. A book editor somehow ran across it and contacted me which began the whole process which eventually turned into The Kindred Life!
I love that a vulnerable post about body image is the one that caught the editor’s attention - because who of us women cannot relate in some way? There’s not a single woman I know - of whatever size - who hasn’t at some point scrutinized her body, comparing it to others’ or wishing it looked different.
I’m not gonna say it’s easy - the struggle is real. But it gets easier the more we live and speak the truth. The truth is, we are wonderfully made. By a God who declared us VERY GOOD.
Since that experience at the lake, I still have body image issues that pop up, but the more I live like I’m free, the more I actually believe it. The more I jump in and refuse to fixate on my appearance, the more I see that my priorities shift from appearance to caring about this good body God gave me on a deeper level. And it honestly affects my choices in a healthy way, rather than in a surface way.
For me, freedom looks like many things: caring for my body with healthy food and joyful movement, and sometimes it’s sleeping in a hammock all day and eating ice cream on the first day of summer.
All the while, little ones are watching us. How will they hear us talk about our bodies and maybe even more importantly, what body language will they see when we put on a swimsuit or look at ourselves in the mirror?
So after this Norris Lake trip, here’s what I want to remind us all again:
JUMP IN THE LAKE.
Do crazy jumps off the boat or the side of the pool.
Go down the slide.
Swim with friends or family.
SOAK UP up all the goodness of summer.
We don’t have to cover up our swimsuits as to not offend someone with our cellulite or wrinkles or shape - or whatever the supposed “imperfection” may be.
This summer, let’s freely live our precious lives rather than trying to change our appearances/situation/circumstances to qualify ourselves for all that is life-giving. This kind of freedom is contagious.
