First, a little history. I grew up in a fairly small town in the Southwest suburbs of Chicago. The interesting thing about the Chicago suburbs is the 'diversity'. You can be on one street in any given town or part of the city, and see a baggy clothes wearing "gangster" wanna be. There is no shortage of those around here. On the next street you could find a camouflage hat, flannel shirt wearing "cowboy" in a truck with tires taller than me. Just a bit down the road you could find a tight pants, ripped shirt, eyeliner wearing 'musician' or 'artist'.
I use the terms like cowboy, musician, artist, and gangster pretty loosely. While I'm definitely aware of the gang situation in Chicago, anywhere outside of the west and south sides of Chicago, real gangs are virtually no existent. I can almost guarantee that the gangster you see in Evanston or Naperville has no clue what a real gang member actually does. Same with the "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy" blasting, big truck driving dudes. The closest thing they do to being an actual cowboy is picking up a dozen hamburger patties for their barbecue next weekend.
I don't like to judge people, but I find it very hard to stay away from the almost visceral, subconscious, and primal instinct of laying out judgement on people. After a few seconds, however, I end up reminding myself that I could truly care less what someone wears or does in the privacy of their own home, or in their giant pick up trucks. They are so high up you can't see whats going on in there anyway.
My point is that for how diverse and "hip" people are, they end up actually being sheltered and closed of individuals. Our ever changing and almost perfect social landscape some how eludes them. Yoga, which is extremely beneficial to any human being is seen as something a woman does, and not for a man. Carrying my yoga mat around, I've heard many a people call me a "fag" or "gay". Its crazy.
My awareness and understanding of this odd hive mind is always there, but it definitely came to a head just the other day.
When I'm back in the wonderful Chicago suburb of Lockport, IL, which is not something I try to do very often, does have it's benefits and draw backs. One of those draw backs is the weather. The winters here can be pretty brutal, which just makes me appreciate awesome weather even more. I skate as much as possible. Why? Because I love skateboarding and nice weather.
Unfortunately, most people don't see it the same way.
Lucky for me, my local coffee place and tobacco store are about a half mile away, and the ground is fairly level with smooth asphalt the whole way. Skating up to get cigarettes or coffee is almost a sublime experience. Except when people open their mouths.
Being a small town, you bump into people quite a bit, especially in the morning. I always get odd looks when I'm on my skateboard, but when someone recognizes me it is even worse. They typically ask what I'm doing, and it is a pretty automated response.
"Just getting some coffee ans cigarettes, and enjoying the awesome weather and my skateboard", I usually say.
Their reaction is if I spit in their face. They ask "Why don't you just drive" so many times it is exhausting. Responses are pretty much the same.
"Why don't you drive up here? Don't you have a car?"
"Why are you still pushing that little piece of wood around, get a ride or something you loser!"
That last one happened to me the other day. A somewhat "friend" from high school was the origin of that base level stupid comment.
First and most logically, driving would probably almost take me longer. There are two stop lights and three one way cross traffic stop signs. On a good day you can make it there in two minutes and thirty seconds flat in car, but generally it clocks in at around five minutes. Skateboarding there takes three minutes and twenty eight seconds, almost every time.
I hate to wax intellectually about the subject, but with time it takes to get in, start the car, drive, get out, and do it all over again probably raises the time to about seven minutes. I could get back and forth twice on my skateboard in that time.
If I completely ignored the fact that skateboarding can be attributed to my happiest moments, it would just make sense to find alternate modes of transportation to destinations within a two mile radius of my home.
Generally, I skate up to our local skate park. It is a bit farther, and definitely quicker by car, but why not skate up there? It seems silly to DRIVE somewhere to pull my skateboard out and push it around. I enjoy skateboarding, so why not do it as much as possible, right?
I will never understand peoples reactions when they see me out and about on my skateboard. It is what I love doing, and since it can only really be done seven months out of the year, I'm gonna soak up every opportunity I have.
That is why I love California, no one gives me dirty looks while I'm skating, unless I'm holding onto their bumper and hitching a ride!
The only time I'll quit skateboarding is when my body gives out. I plan to do it as long as possible.
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