I’m 31 — I just bought a Skateboard
Look at those wheels — don’t they just call to you? Well, they did to me anyway! Today I spent my first hour on my new skateboard. You might be thinking something along the lines of — what are you doing? And if you know me you’ll certainly be thinking — who is this person? Him? A skateboarder? I say — WHY NOT?
I live in London — one of the worlds greatest cities. Getting around is easy enough and bikes are pretty pleasant but I wanted a challenge. I wanted something different, something unpredictable for me. I’ve been thinking about it for a few months and when something sticks with me for that long I tend to pursue it. Over the past couple of years I’ve been trying new things — tap dancing, potters wheel, writing courses, walking adventures — but this pursuit seems different, very unlike me. I say that because I am most definitely not your stereotypical skater boy and I’m 31 for goodness sake! However, this is part of the draw for me. I’m approaching a moment in my life where I want to break the expectations that I’ve made for myself and what others have for me. Expectations have ruled my life and instead of saying I want to be a “rejected cornerstone” (someone who lives or has lived like no one else before — extraordinary) I want to actually put this into practice. So today I put a nail in that “expectation coffin” and went skateboarding for the first time and guess what?! I loved it.
Follow this Link to watch a video of my first RIDE!
I have vivid memories as a child of balancing games and being a bit of a thrill seeker. I built two tree houses myself — both of them were at least two stories high (one went up around 100 feet!) and I had no fear. Skateboarding is not easy — I will fall down and I might even get hurt but this is the EXACT thing that prevents me from taking big leaps in my life: fear of getting hurt or hurting others. I want to use this experience as a metaphor for how I’d like to live my life so that when the really big decision to break away from societal pressures (job, money, possessions) I’ll be able to take the leap.
I will never break my reliance on safe expectations unless I start to put my fantastical ideas into motion. Exceptional living involves risk, sometimes doing things that might seem strange, perhaps giving up friends and comfort. But no one has done anything great the easy way — it takes perseverance, time, practice, patience and love. Well here’s to the start of my grand experiment! Watch this space for updates on my skateboarding skills — gnarly dude! Oh wait, that’s surfing. Ooo… surfing….
Originally published at rejectedcornerstone.wordpress.com on July 21, 2017.
