Last weekend I took my daughter to a local skateboard park. We put on rollerblades and had a blast rolling around in the pool. It turns out that I still have a few skills and didn’t completely embarrass myself in front of my kid, which was a huge plus.
Toward the end of our time there a couple in their 60s walked up. I thought to myself, “they must be on a walk and stopping by to watch some people skate.” I was wrong. It turns out they were there to skateboard. In talking to them, I found out that they had taken up skateboarding in middle age and enjoyed coming to the skate park to skate. We talked for a while before the cold got the better of me and we had to go, so I didn’t get to see them tear up the half pipe, but the conversation left an impression on me.
Before last weekend, I just assumed I was too old to skate at a skate park anymore, though I have wanted to do it again for years. This couple proved me wrong, by several decades. The truth is, if I want to skate again, I’m not too old, I may just need to take it easier than I would have 25 years ago.
It’s never too late to get on the board; you just need the willingness to try.