We are obsessed with age in our culture and write off athletes with laser like precision when we deem them getting along in years. No one can talk about Tom Brady without talking about his age and making that a focal point. If you have read or glimpsed at his new book, you will see the work and dedication he puts into staying healthy. This post of course is not about traditional specialized sport though. It’s about the art of the shred. Whether you want ski , bike or surf till your 100, there are some undeniable truths to see this happen, or at least help(most of the time).
Here is Ryan Nyquist shredding this year still keeping up with the young guns.
- Treat your body like a tool-Your body(which includes your mind, all one), is all you got. If you want to send it while getting senior citizen discounts, we need to keep our body sharp, in tune and running as well as possible, just like tools. As Yoda once said, “Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose”
- Luck-We can do all the right things and follow everything to a t with our life but..we walk out to our car one day, get in and BAM never wake up. Or we get sick and die. Or a slew of other things could happen to us. This is reality but brings up the importance of #3.
- Have fun, enjoy the process!-We need to love what we are doing if we intend on doing it forever and our outlook on life in general needs to be inspired to complete our mission. As Alan Watts said, “Man only suffers because he takes seriously what the gods made for fun”!
- Give back-We are born in tribe and we are dependent upon the tribe throughout our life. One way many extend their careers is to become a mentor, coach or guide to others.Your journey and all of its beautiful and horrible, trials and tribulations can serve as a blueprint for young grommets/whippernsappers, whatever the fuck ya wanna call the next gen, send them a bone ok Mr Miagi/Yoda?!
- Be grateful-You realize that to dedicate your life to play, as serious or hardcore as you want to make it seem, is really a big game right? Our grandfathers weren’t galavanting around whining about which carbon fiber wheels they were going to get or fighting online with other dorks bout their strava times, they were logging, fighting wars and working their asses off everyday with little idea if it was all going to work out. They paved the way so be grateful you little %^*(!. Hard to believe the amount of RBF we see at events, trailheads and at the surf breaks. Get over yourself, be happy and spread stoke and be compassionate of others, you got it?!
