Perhaps the sentiment in my above graphic seems corny or extreme or terminally childish but I assure you that it is also genuine. For me skateboarding has become a tremendous source of comfort. And there are those days.

Whatever anxiety is eating me alive, when I step on the board I am calmed. It’s impossible for me to skate while worrying about other shit. Skateboarding is difficult in a way that demands and, eventually, rewards focus. Progress is hard-won but thrilling.

It’s also a free play activity. Zig and zag however I feel. Not unlike the sort of unconscious play state we get from picking up a crayon and doodling. Even when honed in on learning a specific move, it’s still in the context of whimsical leans, carves, and scrapes as I play my way to the goal.

I could rhapsodize on and on but you get the idea, right? People achieve similar nourishment from other activities, whether playing music or meditating or hiking in the woods. I’m grateful to have found a thing that maps well to my needs and hope you’ve got your thing too.

If you follow me on the accursed platform you’ll see me post clips of my own skateboarding. It’s a bit of self-indulgence that clashes with my usual self-deprecating nature. And yeah, I’m not even good at it! I’ve rolled around on skateboards for most of my life, but I never tried to learn tricks or rode a ramp until my late-forties (yes, I will accept your old man pity points). If you want to watch skateboarding online you have myriad more impressive options than my rickety ass wobbling through the basics. Regardless, I’m proud of what I can do and am inspired by clips of other fledgling skaters finding peace upon their boards.