I mean, there would be more time for reading and writing, sure. And when you're handicapped you have front-of-the-line privileges at Disneyland. But a great portion of my life - of who I am - is based around activities that involve my legs.
L.A. would have driven me insane had I not been able to go surfing at least once a week, skate down Sunset boulevard with a head full of sauce and oo-ee, hike the foothills around me and then the taller foothills an hour away or the real mountains an hour and a half away. And then of course there's snowboarding, the only thing in this world that makes me feel free, the closest a human being can get to flying without artificial wings or rocket packs.
That brought me to this video, an episode of a Network A series EVERY THIRD THURSDAY.
This web series casts some high alpine shralpers as shred-head MYTHBUSTERS/MONSTER GARAGE. And it's appropriate because never have I been around a more committed town of tinkerers and gear heads than in Jackson Hole. People here might not own suits or work 9 to 5 but they all know how to fix their own cars, how to set up their boards and skis, make furniture and jury-rig bindings and so on and so forth.
This particular episode of EVERY THIRD THURSDAY, then, is so damn inspiring because it brings together that snowboard bum tinkering with a former snowboarder, Tim Ostler, who hasn't been on a board since he got paralyzed in a halfpipe over a decade ago. This video epitomizes the snowboard lifestyle - the friendship, the dedication, the nerdy gear-head part of it all. The idea that you never let the mountain or nothin' stop you from enjoying your life. And it's all about laying in a nice carve.
So yeah, check it. Get inspired by it. Maybe even get a little choked up. And spread the word because not only is this a great story about overcoming adversity, it would also be rad for enough people to pay attention to this that more companies and industries cater to those who are physically disabled but not about to give up on it all. Whose bodies may be broken but their wills stay rock solid. Maybe instead of another techno-gadget that allows able-bodied people to be lazy, they can pour their time and efforts into helping those who actually need a little something - spend their time making stuff that's actually USEFUL to mankind vs. just self-indulgent. What a novel idea.
Happy Friday,
- Ryan
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