Page 56 - THE ENDLESS WAVE | Skateboarding, Death & Spirituality

THE ENDLESS WAVE | PART ONE
The son started out by saying that her mother had many male companions. Not one or two, but many. He made a point of saying that his mother had lots of relationships after her husband had died. Some in the crowd laughed at this remark and could see smiles. Obviously, the death of her husband didn’t stop her from loving other men. I think that speaks volumes. On top of this, it turned out that her husband actually ran his own business. As soon as he passed away, she was now thrust into the role of owner. From what I under- stand, she took over the reins with great success. She ran the company for seven years, and eventually, it was sold.
I started to think how old the children were when their father died. Probably in their mid-twenties. How devastating that must have been. And yet, at the funeral, I witnessed many loving tributes from grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
A life that is cut short at a pretty young age can have a horrendous impact on a family. I was 54 in 2018. So much has happened in these past three years. I know that sounds rather odd, but is true. There’s something about being a man over the age of 50. Health issues seem to crop up, and as I wrote in a pre- vious chapter, stuff that you haven’t handled will creep up on you mightily.
Death has a way of completely changing people. Some become more religious, others start a whole new career path, and others focus more on what really counts.
I can’t say for certain that there isn’t intergenerational trauma in this family. I am not sure what ghosts lurk in the closets. But I can say that this woman is a pretty amazing example of getting on with the business of living.
Throughout this book, we hope to give you a perspective of death and dying through the lens of skateboarding. Much has been written about “seizing the day.” The old chestnut of “not counting every day but making every day count” seems to buzz through my brain weekly.
As skaters, we have to make every day count. Especially in the icy cold winter when we can’t get out there and ride. The winter might stop you from skate- boarding, but it won’t be permanent while you can still push.
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