Here’s another air session. I started rollerblading back in 7th or 8th grade, I believe this picture is from my 8th grade or freshman year of high school. This is actually still a way I experience peace: on blades.
One of my favorite memories is an early morning in Portland (my hometown for those who didn’t know) where a group of around 6-7 of us skated all the way from my house to Burnside Projects. It was the summer, so the day had a very early start, and we hit the pavement around 5:30am when light was just starting to peel back the morning shadows. It was warm, and it was quiet. We didn’t pass a single car, and we skated in the middle of the main roads (Hawthorne, 39th, Belmont, etc.) all the way there. That experience of cruising on empty streets when it was somewhat light out has for some reason remained significant for me. I don’t know if it’s the thought of less traffic in the world, the quiet whir of bearings and wheels sending me into a meditative state, or the joy of being the only people around as we carved around corners. I do know that this experience resonates every time I’m chilling late at night and it’s just the moon and myself. Or when I’m in the woods and close my eyes, only to be surrounded by the millions of quiet stirrings I had not yet come to notice. When I am fishing on a river, watching the fly drift. Lying in water with my ears below surface. Standing at the top of a ski run in the outback terrain. Sitting out past the breakers watching the waves rolling in. Gazing at a campfire. Waiting in unprogrammed meeting.
Many times I find myself back in this space, drifting through the sleeping, Douglas streets. I find myself grateful whenever I stumble upon these moments. Perhaps I’ll go sit outside…
And for those of you looking for a free 5×7…I realize some of those other q’s you can find quick and easy on the web, so here’s something a little bit more personal: where was the first place I tried to grind a handrail on rollerblades?
a) an elementary school on Division and 58th across from Dairy Queen
b) my orthodontist’s office from which I learned the meaning of humility (neon pink head gear during middle school!!!)
c) Lincoln High School front steps in front of all the cool senior guys
d) never tried rails, I stuck to curbs
I realize some of you will be guessing, so take your best shot: once.
by Joel
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