Fall Off The Horse, Get Right Back On

My *skate buddy* and I have found this very cool place to go afterhours and "practice." Obviously he's been skating for a very long time. Me being his *cool new friend* I wanted to take up learning, as it's been a dormant desire of mine since I was 25 and moved out to LA.


So picture us in Agoura Hills. He's confidently cruising on his longboard. And I get to use his ex's short little board, with old ex's-ex's band stickers, dirty trucks and filthy wheels. But I give a new life to that board. I resurrect it.

I start to develop a quick confidence to keep my feet on the board while going down very mild slopes. My buddy teaches me how to psyche my ego out (as the ego is attached to safety at all costs, and will FORCE you off the board prematurely if he feels you're going too fast). You stand on that board, and you hone in on the ground, and you say to yourself, 'Stay on target... Stay on target..." Ah! Sometimes the ego wins. Other times, you let the Force carry you.

I realize that falling is inevitable. And there may be pain. Which is what I want to avoid. But the inevitable happens. And it doesn't even happen while I'm skateboarding! I decide to wheelbarrow (butt sitting on the board) down a realllly steep slope. Hands and feet all tucked in. I'm going, I'm going, I'm going like Bart Simpson, and then--it's too fast for me! So how do I brake? By throwing a hand, and a foot and a knee down onto the ground. Ouch! Bad idea.
Still not knowing how to brake, I tumble off and scrape up all aforementioned body parts, including rocking my spine a touch. Which is okay, because I think it actually threw things back into place. No need for hospitals. I'm alive!

As you can see, that even when we think we're safe...the ego still causes us to bail prematurely. This is the reason anybody ever "falls." So fight the fear. And get right back on.