Page 14 - THE ENDLESS WAVE | Skateboarding, Death & Spirituality

THE ENDLESS WAVE | PART ONE
he left, I could feel the tension and anger just swirling around him. I was lit- erally stunned into silence.
I am happy to report that a scene like this is NOT a common occurrence. The amount of visceral hatred that seethed in this man’s veins was both intense and shocking. While I will never know what led up to this moment, it is forever seared in my brain. A fellow staff member remarked that he’d been working in funeral services for over 25 years and had never encountered something like this before. I guess in some crazy way, my timing was pretty good.
There is no doubt in my mind that you gain an incredible appreciation for life when you are surrounded by death. It seems oddly counter-intuitive and yet I encounter it constantly. What can we learn from my story about this man? I think you could spend many years trying to unpack a scene like this, but I think it boils down to just one crucial thing. “You gotta handle your shit, or shit will handle you.”
Clearly, this man (who appeared to be in his mid 60’s) and his mother (along with the rest of the family) needed help. He clearly carries a burning resentment that was overwhelming. Whatever the history is between the family, it would appear that it was never dealt with. This man needed help. Maybe he got it, but I sense it never really helped sufficiently. Or maybe, in the last three years, he did receive some help. I can only hope that he did. Sadly, I will never know.
Skaters come from a variety of backgrounds. Some are rich, some are poor and some are middle class. I would venture a guess that a number of skaters turned to skateboarding because it was a path to freedom from an issue. These issues or problems can range from mild to severe. No matter what a skater tries to leave behind (ie: an abusive home, inattentive parents, abusive sibling or some other problem) the fact remains that skateboarding can’t fully erase the problem. Coming to terms with this can be both alarming and painful but it is necessary.
Make no mistake, I am glad I had skateboarding when I was younger. It wasn’t just a creative outlet, it provided me with a great deal of support. But in truth,
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