6/29/20
Today’s session started off bumpy, and ended up being a ton of fun. I’ve been getting hooked on surfskate progression. Its addicting. The more I practice the more I feel the surfing motion. And the more I feel the surfing motion the more I can escape suburbia and embark on a dissociative mental trip to SoCal or Bali. I’m addicted.
But today I told myself things would be different. I reminded myself that I also have a goal to become a more well-rounded person board rider. Today I decided I’d do more mundane ollie practice, to become a better person skater.
The moment I decided that, something shifted in my universe. It began to pour. The afternoon thunderstorms rolled in as predicted. I acted as if I didn’t check the forecast this morning and neglect to get some riding in before the rain. It was a shock to my reality, the weather forecast was correct!
Oh well maybe the pavement will dry and I can make some turns on my surfskate instead… No. Not today.
The rain passed, I finished up with work, and the pavement was dry. Resisting the temptation to “surf,” I promised myself I’d go skate around the basketball court instead. Rolling up to the park in my car, I was unwittingly looking for any excuse to abandon this effort and go surf.
The parking lot was populated by a handful of early twenty-somethings meeting up to ogle over their slammed Volkswagens… intimidating, but not a good enough excuse. I pulled halfway into a parking spot and there it was! A beautiful excuse to avoid my frivolous, self-mandated responsibility!
Puddles.
Puddles all over the basketball court. Now what kind of responsible, well-mannered skater would I be if I dared get my bearings wet? No. This would be unacceptable. Before the decision to leave was done being made, I had already shifted into reverse and was on my way home.
Finally, the sweet escape of “surfing” had become a reality.
I dropped into the right-hander outside my house. I savored every turn. Slashed up my neighbor’s driveway. Transcended my mediocre reality and delved in some altered state of consciousness fueled by 4 wheels, a plank of wood, and some kid’s mechanical engineering capstone project. And when it was all done, I was left wanting more.
MikeFundaro.com 