Page 89 - THE ENDLESS WAVE | Skateboarding, Death & Spirituality

THE ENDLESS WAVE | PART ONE
Postscript
(The Future Is Unwritten)
When I first started to contemplate the idea of this book, I wasn’t quite sure where it would lead to. There are literally thousands of books about death and dying. What I am really trying to do with this book is spark a conversation that may or may not have happened. After all, most people are un- comfortable talking about death and dying — and this includes skateboarders.
I see this book as a catalyst to kickstart these difficult, but very necessary con- versations. It’s pretty ironic — skaters often give off an air of fearlessness and a desire to push things past a limit. But when it comes to discussing death, they become remarkably quiet.
I am not looking here to do a bait and switch, either. I have tried to blend some of the stories that I’ve experienced as both a skater and a worker in the death care industry. I’d be the first to agree this blended subject is aimed at a pretty niche audience. But I also sense that it will resonate with those it’s supposed to.
Every skater I’ve ever met remembers the first time they tried to skate. They remember getting pulled into the magic of the experience. Whatever the cat- alyst — a big brother, taking their sister’s roller skates or just seeing someone skate down the street — they got a spark and it turned into a burning flame.
The ability to continue to enjoy skateboarding past your teenage/young adult years is something that very few people really get to experience. Despite
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