Page 102 - THE ENDLESS WAVE | Skateboarding, Death & Spirituality

THE ENDLESS WAVE | PART TWO
through commitment and passion for skateboarding, I’ve been able to re- direct my energy into skating less-orthodox spots and still have fun with it. In more recent years, I’ve become a parent and have two sons who have also shown an interest in skateboarding. The death of one part of me led to the birth of another part of me and it has been a great bonding experience for us.
When a part of us dies, a new part of us is reborn. The process of dying and rebirth acknowledges the fact that life can indeed, take on many forms. Dying and rebirth provide us with the opportunity to look at what we really value in life or within our context of creation. It provides us with the opportunity to really be present and enjoy what we are doing. Letting go of the fear of dying amplifies our ability to be present and engage with the present.
Dying does not simply mean the end. Rather it implies the beginning of the next. I believe in openly expressing to the universe, “this or something better”, meaning that whatever you are experiencing right now, is a reflec- tion of your best or working towards your best suited offering of life right now. What feels right for you at this moment? What feels like it’s your best expression right now?
There is always learning to be done. A true master is one who learns some- thing and continues to expand on their practices. This might happen within skateboarding. For example, how many times have you practised that same line in the bowl or how many times have you kickflipped, only to find yourself searching for more? More spots, more obstacles, more ways to kickflip into, onto, over, up, down?
This might also happen outside of skateboarding, like in the form of “what else can I learn?” “What life skills have I learnt from skateboarding?” “What path- ways have opened up to me because of my involvement with skateboarding?”
For me, my experience of death in skateboarding was about asking myself the question “do I still want to be skateboarding? Does skateboarding still have life for me? Do I still have the life for skateboarding?”
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