Before the killing, the daily protests, the broken glass, tear gas, fires, looting, mayhem, more murders, and national guard troop deployment, there was a city crawling out of lockdown seeking to return to normal. Three months of fear was starting to subside.
The weather was well on its way to summer days. A collective anxiety was slipping away.
Then came that day. Our protracted fear morphed into raging anger, but that’s another video, or two, or three forthcoming. This one is about life before all that.
Before the graffiti, the fresh smell of plywood, and occasional dust up of tear gas, there was a beautiful day. It was glorious and I was alive without fear or anger living in the moment enjoying the company of strangers, visitors, and new faces.
I had a short session with a group of young gentlemen from Franklin then pushed a few blocks north and east where I shared my board with a homeless man who hadn’t skateboarded in 7 or so years depending on the math. He was a tired, worn out looking soul laid out on a bench who spring to life when I agreed to let him have a go at it.
The worst he could have done is break it. It was a tired old board anyways, one that I’ve already replaced since shooting this video. The joy was well worth the risk.
I’m thankful that I can still push around almost four years after starting to ride again regularly. I am grateful to be conscious of good in this world even in the midst of adversity and despair.
Immensely happy times await around every corner for us to notice as we roll by. So by all means, keep your eyes peeled and keep on rolling.