It was interesting to watch this meeting and to observe a common will come together into a single purpose. This coming together spawned a plethora of ideas. The creativity of this gathering was something to behold. What I witnessed was the proof that working together works wonders.

The desire to help was profound. This yearning to assist cut across every segment of Paradise life and extended well beyond the walls to our sister communities. The catalyst for this unity was the commonality of purpose. The root of this was the potential destruction or unacceptable modification of what many felt dear.

The owners, developers and investors do not ultimately set the course of our destiny as a nudist resort, community or mecca; it is the collective "Us."

The reason that I moved to Pasco in general and Paradise in particular was the people. The resort was a wonderful consolation prize.

Paradise is composed of a number of associations. In the recent past these entities were, at various levels, absorbed in their own agendas and to a point divisive and on occasion would butt heads with each other and the resort itself.

The pendulum swings and it is Paradise time. We have a new owner, John Forier, who is a resident nudist and as such was afforded an opportunity to see more of the forest than if he were directly involved.

As more and more of us were feeling a lack of fun at Paradise, our new owner said, "I'm buying Paradise Lakes for fun!"

John also is keeping open and revitalizing Lakeside while demonstrating a desire to help bring the community together.

The residents and membership applaud his foresight and action.

Paradise, with its different communities, is a microcosm of our larger Pasco nudist community. Every resort, association and community throughout Pasco offers a different flavor. Each element of our community is unique. The beauty of life is defined by the diversity of life. We go out for Chinese, Italian and then chow down on good 'ole BBQ (Now let's not forget the chocolate!).

Everyone is distinctive. But what we have in common is that we are all nudists. And here in lies our strength. We as a unified Pasco nudist community can forge a new social, political and economic force that would benefit the whole to a far greater extent then any single element flailing about on its own.

John Forier, the residents and membership of Paradise are finding that networking and working together brings greater rewards for all than going it alone. They are creating a win/win scenario. The selfish ones have proven that isolation doesn't work. We as a cohesive nudist community can create a far larger presence by working in unison.

Examples abound in the snow skiing world where the local ski areas came together using their local area name to promote for the good of all.

"Come visit Orlando!" is the rallying cry for the theme parks and cascades all the way down to the mom and pop businesses. We should do the same. "Come visit Pasco!" should be our call to the nudist community from around the world. By coming together, county wide, Pasco would become the mecca of the nudist world. Do we have the will to look beyond the past and into the future?