I left for Lima, Peru on Saturday morning and at the airport, a 12-year-old boy inspected my shoes for a minute, then approached me and asked, "Are those the Nike SB Stefan Janoski's?"
"Yes," I told him, "One of my friends who I grew up skateboarding with gave them to me and several other friends and we all wore them in his wedding."
"Cool," he said. "I work at a skate shop in Houston."
-"That's really cool," I said.
Two minutes later he approached me again with more questions:
"Are you sponsored?"
-"Nope."
"So you just do it for fun?"
-"Yes, exactly."
"That's cool. Where are you going now?"
-"To South America, I'm going surfing, actually. It's something I've wanted to do since I was your age."
"Really?! Is that all you're taking"
-"Yes."
"How long are you going for?"
-"Five months"
"That's all you'll need for five months!?"
-"I hope so!", I said.
"What kind of a job do you have that you can travel for five months?"
-"Well, I stopped working so I could do a trip like this."
"But aren't your mom and dad going to miss you?"
-"Yes, they probably will."
"What did they say when you told them you were leaving!?"
-"I think they were a little jealous! They wish they could go to Peru, too."
Meanwhile, I think his mom was smiling as she overheard the conversation and his dad was hoping his son didn't get any crazy ideas from me.
In his five-minute round of questions, I think this kid was completely blown away that I was leaving the country for five months. Many people whom I've talked to are. But I applaud him for asking all the questions on his mind and getting answers; how could something that seems so impossible be possible? In the end I think he got it.
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Great story Paul. A blank canvas. I can remember the feeling of being blown away the first time I saw an older skater in Reedsburg do a pop shuvit. It felt like everything changed for me in that one moment, probably at around age 12.
ReplyDeleteThat feeling of newness is something that we chase, whether we want to or not. New skatespots, cities, friends, it's all so exciting,
and very relivent to your current journey.
Cheers to that new feeling.
P.S. I want to know what shop hires a 12 year old!!
haha. yeah. I think the kid may have been talking himself up a bit, as we all have done.
ReplyDeletecheers to blank canvases. I look forward to seeing how this blog evolves. I have had 1 abandoned blog so with this one I think I´ll do things a little differently.