Long hair, tight jeans and an I don’t give a fuck attitude symbolized who I was from age fourteen to seventeen. Skateboarding was all I cared about. I invested huge amounts of effort and focus on the sport. I would skate every day after school – meeting up with friends and wreaking havoc in parking lots and prohibited skating areas. We would wax parking blocks and skate them for hours. Then we’d skate through the McDonald’s drive-thru and demand to be served on skateboards.
I’ve yet to find another passion that occupied my mind as much as skateboarding. But I quit skating after high school and traded it in for something new- guitar. The guitar will always have a place on my lap, but I wonder where skateboarding went?
Each new year goes by faster than the last, so I made an impulsive decision and bought a skateboard – before 25 turns into 38 and while my knees still work like they should. Although it was an impulse buy, I did have my motivations for dropping the $100.
I want to get in shape, spend more time away from the screen and take my mind off the everyday grind.
A lot can change in 10 years but passion never fades.
Now I take my board to the park after work each day, just like the old days. And although I am ten years older and a completely different person, my feelings for skateboarding haven’t changed.
Challenge yourself this summer to revive an old passion. Remember your past, free from Facebook and smartphones and high speed internet and get distracted with an old time passion.
