Bored? Get Board!

Inactivity. What a way to waste a life!
See, dreams are great; but if they never develop kinetics, they remain only potential. Such has been a constant brain stump I keep tripping over.

I love to dream big. But to put some wheels under it, I kinda just sit back and go for another cup of coffee. Then I'm bored, and I've wasted another day with nothing to console me except having satisfactorily obliterated the better part of a five-dollar bill on a tall Verona and a scone at the local Starbucks. Bored, and dreaming my life away.

The day I finally picked up my first skateboard, I 'd already been to that same Wal-Mart multiple times (I know, 'Wal-Mart?') I'd decided to get the cheapest starter deck I could find that looked sturdy enough to work for me. Of course, actually following through with your swing is a bit hard; at least, if you're like me.
See, I quietly envied skater-types. I wished I could do the cool tricks they could; but them was heathens, bro! What, me? Skate? Not on a million bucks!
I had all this 'holier than thou' nonsense spinning in my brain like a caffeinated hamster on a wheel that just got a fresh coating of WD-40 on its bearings. That is, until God tossed some chewing gum in the works.
"Go skate." Me: "What??!" God: "Go skate!" Me: "Um, ok. Soon." God: "NOW." Me: "Alright, already!"
That checkout line was, -short. I felt like everyone was watching. My pride was screaming toward earth in a graveyard-spiral, and I'd just managed to bail out in time. (It's hilarious to see in retrospect. I'm cracking up just recounting it.)

Hey you want to see a clown? No, not those rubber-nosed pajama wearing freaks in mime makeup with tiny hats and ginormous shoes at the circus. That's not a real clown. A clown is what I became showing up to the local skatepark in cross training shoes (no real skate shoes yet) with bicycle helmet from ten years ago, and a complete set of knee and elbow pads. -And that Wal-Mart deck. One word: RIDICULOUS.
But at this point, I was dead serious. I was going to learn to skate no matter what. Over time, I upgraded all my equipment to pro-grade stuff, and now, -though I'm still learning, I can rip that park like crazy.
(That pic below is actually another park. I just couldn't find the pic I was looking for. =P )

Then, just about a month ago, it was time for a new disaster. A new dream was calling; and all that skateboarding had been prepping for it. So, with an extra hundred bucks I'd got (unexpectedly through a side job) I was on my way to that surf shop in North Hampton. There'd been this board I'd seen there (used and beat up) that was in my price range. When I bought it, I was so calm. A purchase like that should've given me a migraine. But after some prayer, and discussing my concerns with a friend, I knew it was now or never. I wasn't even able to try it out that day. But I felt like I'd won a victory. Not that I just wasted $99 on a fiberglass-sheathed foam plank, but that I'd overcome fear. It didn't matter anymore what anyone thought of me. I was where I was meant to be. I'd begun a new adventure; I'd started the process of turning dream into reality. I'd started to turn potential into kinetic. But only by the grace of God.

I love the ocean. And amidst all the 'heathens' (normal real people) I've skated by at surfside, God is there. The surf reminds me of His love. All I (we) need do is just dive in!

-Aaron Conti

(=D)