Getting old is a bummer.

When we arrived back in the States, I was stoked to find my old skateboard in storage. I’ve been riding it since college, and it was one of my regular modes of transportation in SLO. I brought it to Pasadena, and rode it to Fuller some days.

One Friday in October I was skating home after class and going fast, when suddenly I hit a rock. The board instantly went from fast to zero m.p.h.; while Deron continued sailing through the air. I landed hard on my knee, and after considerable yelling I picked up the skateboard and walked the remaining 8 blocks home. I remember my exact thoughts: “I’ve had this exact accident about 100 times in my life. My knee’s gonna hurt pretty good for a week or two, and then I’ll be fine.”

That was the adrenaline talking. By the time I reached home, my knee had ballooned inside my now-torn jeans, and I could barely walk. That night Jess had to almost carry me to bed (quite a sight to see, if you know our size differences) as I couldn’t walk a step. The next morning I went to the emergency room, and about six hours later (gotta love the ER) hobbled out on crutches. Something about bruising the kneecap, straining the patellar tendon, and stretching my calf muscle.

But here’s the point: I was in disbelief about why it was so bad. I mean, I’d had the same fall a hundred times before, right? Oh wait…those were when I was 15 and 18 and 22 years old. As I told others about the accident, I got the same response repeatedly: “So did you get rid of the skateboard yet? You’re too old for that.” I wanted to protest but I realized, much chagrined, that all my answers sounded like old-guy excuses: “But I don’t feel old at all!” “Why I’ve been riding that thing for years!” etc…

I realized that though I can still skateboard well, that part’s not the problem. Falling, technically, isn’t the problem either. It’s recovering that’s not as easy as it used to be. I couldn’t run for the next four months, and even now that I’m jogging again I have a bit of pain most days.

Skating occasionally is fun. But being able to climb stairs, run around and play with my daughter, and go for a morning run before sitting in the library doing research for 10 hours is my bigger priority. So bye-bye skateboard. And spare me the getting old jokes. Nah, on second thought bring ’em on.