Beavers first skateboard

About a year ago, as a bit of a joke, I got a skateboard at Wal-Mart. Everyone thought I was crazy but I was tired of sitting around wasting my life away because of my back problems. Screw that! I'm only going to live once so I figured I should at least have some fun. As I'm writing this I can hear Joe Elliot, in my head, singing "...it's better to burn out than fade away."

I brought the board home and played around with it in the garage and the driveway. I was wobbly and terrified of falling. I got super excited when I let myself roll down the driveway and didn't kill myself. Just rolling down the driveway, a short distance, gave me that "this is so cool" feeling. At that moment it stopped being a joke and I knew I really wanted to learn to skate. Then, CRASH, I wiped out in the garage. Mike, my husband, was in such shock that I had gotten up off the ground before he got up out of his chair. I fell right out of my shoes and banged myself up pretty good. I learned something. Proper footwear is important, safety gear is a must and, joke or not, a Wal-Mart board is not made for adults.

After the fall we went out and bought me some sneakers that would stay on my feet. I got a pair of Vans. What a difference the right shoe makes. If you're going to skate then get yourself a pair of skate shoes. After I got the shoes I didn't really get back on the board. I didn't want to fall again. As funny as it was, it still hurt like hell. I knew I needed a proper board and some safety equipment.

The crappy Wal-Mart skateboard just sat there after that. My Vans, worn maybe once, lived in a box in my closet. The longer you let something go the chances of you getting back to it are slim. Well, losing my job this past March was a kick in the ass. Life changed and it changed quickly. I made some decisions. Again, I wasn't going to just waste away doing nothing, waiting for a job. I decided it was time to get off my ass and learn to skate.

I don't want to take up too much of your time so I'll stop for now. Next time I'll share with you my experience of buying a skateboard, and I don't mean at Wal-Mart.

-Beaver

"200 years of American technology has unwittingly created a massive cement playground. It took the minds of 12 year-olds to realize its potential." -from Powell Peralta - Future Primitive (watch the video)