I have posted this video before, but today I am posting it again to talk about something else.

I was talking to my friends Lew and Luke today and for some reason this video came to mind. Actually, I know why. As I have been complaining about, the heat right now is such that I can’t really skate safely. It is just too hot. So I’ve been watching this video over and over, not because I am just in love with my skating, but because it was a perfect Fall day.

As I chatted with Lew and Luke a few things occurred to me. First, the absolute serenity that spot has afforded me. The day I filmed that my wife had been diagnosed with cancer and we were in the pandemic. A lot of people had already died.

Why is this big flat expanse so compelling to me? Most skaters would be bored. At most they might skate there for 30 minutes, not the hours I spend there. I get bored at multimillion dollar skateparks. I really do. This simple expanse activates me with possibilities.

It’s also a place no one but me really cares about. People park their cars there during their workday. They have no idea. To them it is nothing. After 5pm and on the weekends it is empty. It is all mine. The cops drive by and say nothing to me, even though it is the parking lot of City Hall. I stay well away from the building. It is just concrete. What can I really hurt (other than myself)? Besides lacking any real obstacles except some rough curbs, the concrete isn’t even that smooth. All the better. It’s real, and there is nothing likely to draw other skateboarders and ruin my tranquility.

If the rest of my skateboarding life is just this…I’m fine with that. 🛹