Tested and Approved
As featured @ Manakai Swimwear
Photo credit: MaryGrace Stitch
Like gems of the sea, I treasured my first Manakai swimsuits, wearing them rarely and only on special occasions. I felt the need to protect them, to do everything in my power to preserve their crystalline condition. They were every emanation of quality ~ so sound, so vibrant, so lovely.
Like a redwood or coral reef or rose, my relationship with my Manakai suits was one of conservation. Tread lightly and mindfully. Take care of this precious resource. For, it was made with intention and symbolizes beauty and beckons respect.
Then… life happened. Reality caught up with reverence. And, as my quiver of other bathing suits withered and weathered and eventually dissolved to threads, I was left with only my mint Manakai’s to outfit my ocean-oriented lifestyle. So, I swallowed my pious pill and started putting them to the test.
I beach ran and never bounced out.
I surfed and never surfaced de-robed.
I deck washed and scrubbed nonskid and never pilled.
I sailed and somehow evaded any semblance of sun-fade.
I swam and dove and danced and they’ve still never stretched.
I live in my swimsuits. They are my uniform. I spend more time in a bikini than I do in any other piece of clothing and, while I’m in them, I use them. I wear them. After nearly a year of rocking my first round of Manakai’s to the bone, I still get remarks like, “I love your new suit! Where’d you get it?”
As it turns out, the more I wear them, the more I treasure them. For, they’re withstanding the test of time and the nature of an elemental lifestyle. They’re reminding me that there’s a fine line between conservation and being too conservative. I can be mindful and respectful and reverent and get after it.
Like a redwood or a coral reef or a rose, these suits inspire awe. They are a precious resource. However, one need not tread lightly. They’re made to endure, to enhance, and moreover, to experience. One can witness the beauty of a rose from afar, but the reality of inhaling her aroma or gently caressing her petals is an experience. So suite up and go experience.
