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When I was a preteen living in Orange County, California, I wanted to learn how to surf. Boogie boarding was the closest that I ever got to surfing. I enjoyed it immensely. But, I assumed that standing up to ride a wave carried a bigger rush.
The second closest thing to surfing--for me, at least--was skateboarding. My oldest brother was the first one in our family to own a skateboard. It was a wooden Nash model with a blue shark painted on it. I don't remember if he ever let me ride it; but, my parents bought a skateboard for me in the mid or late '70's, a Grentec GT Coyote that I still have. (I also have another brother's California Free Former but I think he wants it back.) I used to cruise up and down our street with my friends and we even cruised to a warehouse once or twice with two of my brothers and their friends. A company that made the now-old style iron-on's tossed out some of the "mistakes" and we went through them, hoping to find decent ones that may have been thrown out accidentally.
It seems I remember my brothers and their friends attempting different tricks on their plastic skateboards. I tried to do some myself on my board but wasn't very good at it. I think that's how I lost some of the open ball bearings one day. I remember my skateboard hitting a curb during a trick attempt. Or, was I just riding around? Either way, some of the bearings flew out, leaving the board with a floppy wheel that's floppy to this day.
My parents bought me a pair of Makaha roller skates around the time of the bearing loss. My childhood best friend also had a pair of skates. Mine had a skate shoe design and hers were a roller rink design. But we still skated together, sometimes cranking up a radio while we skated around her family's driveway, as if we were in a roller disco, other times pretending we were in a roller derby, and, other times, just skating fast up and down the sidewalk.
I recently became interested in skateboards again after my rheumatologist talked to me for the umpteenth time regarding weight loss. I had attempted to lose weight while I was on a high dose of corticosteroids but grew discouraged as the numbers on the scale kept increasing despite my efforts. When he put me on a different immunosuppressant and started tapering me off steroid tablets, I decided to start exercising again. The weight began to come off slowly at first. Now that I'm completely off oral steroids, the weight loss has picked up. I began looking into caster boards and bought one that I planned to ride around my garage. But when I looked on YouTube for tip videos, I stumbled upon longboards. (I think I saw a longboard on a TV show years ago but forgot about it.)
The more longboarding videos I watched, the more it seemed a longboard would be a better exercise option than a caster board. So, I bought an inexpensive pintail cruiser. I haven't been able to get out and skate as much as I'd like. With sarcoidosis, I have to be very careful about sun exposure. As it is, a couple of thirty to forty-five minute sessions helped lead to a slight increase in my calcium level. My father has helped me out by buying a couple of UPF 50+ shirts for me. Even so, my nephrologist has recommended that my outdoor exercise take place in indirect sunlight--lots of shade. My brother who lives in town has driven me to a couple of parks, one of which has a trailhead to our local greenway. The trail system has some bumpy sections and some sections with steep inclines. I'm hoping that the longboard's soft wheels will help with the bumpy sections. They've already helped with rocks that I couldn't see because of the vision loss that I have. In addition, I'm trying to learn some safety slides but have some limited mobility, especially in my left knee. (I believe past flare ups have left scar tissue in my left leg.)
All of the precautions that I have to take because of my health issues aren't stopping me from enjoying longboarding. I've mostly been riding in my garage. But, I've been happy when I've been out at a park riding. I even enjoyed a short cruise around my neighborhood although a neighbor's dog came running after me barking its head off. And, a couple of weeks ago, while I was on a small section of the greenway, I experienced pure bliss. Sure, I had to bail as the speed picked up and I realized that I hadn't scouted enough of the path ahead. Still, I had the same feeling that I experienced on my boogie board years ago whenever I caught a wave just right...but more. And, as I headed back to the van for the ride home, it struck me that, in the very recent past, I had been very close to going blind. I'd had to use a white-tipped cane at times. But, there I was, longboarding at sunset, trees all around me on the dry creek bed, my heart overflowing with gratitude to the God Who created me (and the trees), the God Who restored enough of my eyesight for me to witness setting suns.
When I got back home from the greenway trail and went up to my bedroom, all I could do was clap my hands together several times and tell the Lord, "Thank You." I was ecstatic, elated, stoked. Yes, stoked--but more! I get it now when I see or hear skaters and surfers using that word.
By the grace of God, I'll get better at longboarding and teach other people with visual impairments or other impairments how to skate. If I have to figure out what adaptive technology to use, I will. I've already put together a land paddle for myself for casual cruising. There's a way to get this done. There's a way to pass along the joy, a way to help others experience it. I believe that, in God's timing, it'll happen.
