Re:Surviving Your 40s
by yosito on Monday May 07, 2018 @11:26AM
(#17013439)
I started longboarding to work in my late 20s. My coworkers laughed at me and called me a hippy. I guess it was because I broke the status quo in their minds. Their expectation was that I should start maturing and settle into the same 9-5 box they were in. The older I get, the more I run into people thinking I'm a wacky hippy for the lifestyle choices I make. There's so much social pressure to conform but, ironically, conformity is a much lonelier option in my experience than being willing to stand out as weird. The phrase "your vibes attract your tribe" is really true, but it sometimes takes time. Over time I've found people my age (and of all ages) that accept my weirdness. I think the main reason people have trouble finding friends over 30 is because they spend more effort trying to fit into the boxes society wants to put them in than they do looking for the society that accepts them as they are.
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Love the observation that lifestyle choices once construed by friends as evidence of a mid-life crisis are eventually accepted as just part of who you are — that has largely been my experience too.
It also helps to see others normalising skating as a commuting form — I'd guess 1/3 of Casey Neistat's videos feature skateboards, longboards, and their electric variants. (He is 37.)
I was tempted by longboarding, but bought the skateboard because they're easier to trick, carry, and stash. I can see myself buying a longboard eventually too, though…
Longboards are great for long distance commutes. Much more efficient and comfortable over long distances than traditional skateboards. And if you can find a place for downhill boarding, its an exhilarating hobby!