Page 11 - THE ENDLESS WAVE | Skateboarding, Death & Spirituality

THE ENDLESS WAVE | PART ONE
Balancing the Risk vs Reward
Think about the first time you stepped on a board. Were you a little bit scared or anxious? Chances are you might have had some trepidation, but it was mitigated by the sheer joy and freedom you saw other skaters experiencing and you wanted some of that! So, you took a chance, jumped on the board and were hopefully rewarded.
It is not just a question of balancing on a skateboard, but how you balance the risk vs the reward. Skateboarders know that falling can produce painful and sometimes lethal consequences. But all those worries and fears are cast aside for the reward that is riding.
Now think about the first time you learned to drop in on a mini-ramp or bowl. Again, you probably felt a little anxious but knew instinctively that the reward would be truly worthwhile. It is the combination of risk vs reward that forms the first part of a skater’s lens and we carry this throughout our life.
What I have learned in my 59+ years of living and 48+ years of riding a skate- board, is that sometimes, you have to jump right in, despite the difficulty or risk. Built into the DNA of skateboarding is risk and I know for a fact that it has changed the way I look at death and dying. While it can be risky to skate- board, I feel that the greater risk is not living a fulfilling, joyful life.
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