We called those "baby drops", and flipping back off the swing seat as it comes forward we called "cherry pickers". I'm 46 now, I can still do both. Once you've learned them, they're easy.

can and do are two different things. things heal a lot faster when the landings are wrong in playground days than they do at 46. i have personal experience with the healing slower bit if not from a cherry picker move.

At 50 I strained my shoulder doing just a few simple push-ups, and it took nearly a year for the pain to (mostly) go away. Getting old sucks.

I tore a rotator cuff when convinced that riding a long board down the street while not in a sober state would be easy. Going downhill of not an impressive hill, and the speed wobble on a board I had been on for 3 minutes suggested time to bail. I didn't roll nearly as well as a younger me would have. Nearly a year sounds about right.

Skateboards are a mortal enemy of vertebrae

Yeah, You're way off your game when you're drunk. I learned that lesson the hard way a few times over in my early 20s (though not so hard that I needed a trip to the hospital).

> God we were fearless back in the day.

I have a rule on myself to stay young. Every time I see a swing rope into water I must do a back flip, and every time I see a 1m diving board, I must do a gainer (run forward, back flip).

I'm 41 now, I'm really curious how old I'll be when I can't do them anymore.

We always say “a backie a day keeps the doctor away”.

It’s entirely incorrect but it keeps life fun!