You surf? You young? Get used to the idea of walking frames…
I don’t much fear death. That’s not meant in some bravado soaked, “who wants to live forever?” sense.
Though there’s a decent chance that the things I enjoy will turn off my hunk of flesh one day, I don’t revel in the fact, I take every reasonable precaution to avoid it. I just believe (I’d say know, really, but that smacks of too much hubris to admit) that when we die it’s nothingness all around.
No afterlife, no reckoning. Lights out, you’re done.
May as well have never existed. Maybe in some hippy-dippy, we’re all made of star farts, way our existence holds some meaning outside ourselves, but if you’re not a conscious being that point is pretty much moot.
I’ve come as close to drowning as you can in a controlled setting, I can tell you the end feels euphoric, confusing, and empty.
But aging, she holds some terror.
My landlady had a slip and fall this past weekend. She’s 88, active, and when the ambulance pulled into our drive it scared the shit out of the wife and me. I’ve fallen into a kind of houseboy role for her, nothing crazy, just little things. Fetching shit off high shelves, carrying in groceries, hanging the occasional picture.
No big deal, happy to help. Super minor effort on my end, tons of appreciation on hers. She rents us a nice little two-bedroom at below fair market value, definitely don’t want to kill that golden goose.
She’s got a dark sense of humor, “I read the obituaries to see which of my friends died” and drives like a maniac. Takes a pretty fatalistic view of her ever encroaching demise.
When she got back from the hospital we hung out for a bit.
“I’m just glad I didn’t break my hip,” she said. “When that happens it’s always surgery, then just… death. That’s how it works at my age.”
Which rattled me. I’m only 35, still long for this world, but ridiculously injury prone. A lifetime of broken bones, sprains and strains and tears. Constant trips to the ER, two life threatening infections in the last twelve months.
It’s terrifying to realize there will come a time I don’t bounce back. I’m still young and strong, I heal fast. But I can feel it adding up.
I know I’m not the only one.
A doctor once remarked, as he looked over my medical history, “Your entire generation will be using walkers by fifty.” A few years later he killed himself, rather than go to prison. He wasn’t looking at much time, for a young man.
But he was very old, not likely to see freedom again. Suicide’s the coward’s way out, but I don’t hold it against him. We make our choices.
I, and likely you, have spent decades heaving my body at the ground. Beating my joints into dust, plenty of stretching and creaking and a long hot shower each morning to get moving smoothly again.
I fear how fifty-five will feel.
Twenty more years of this, can I hold up?
That depressed me deeply.
So what you just said is “fuck old longboarders”? Hear, hear!
Let’s be real, the middle-aged pad-junkies at your local 8ft+ skatepark obstacle are way more fucked than any pedestrian surfer without an air game to speak of. Hence why drinking and skating are interminable companions for all age groups.
In 20 years artificial joints and ligaments will be the norm. Many top athletes are already using them. In a few years it won’t be so cost prohibitive. The medical industry is going to make a killing considering how many kids are destroying themselves skating, surfing, snowboarding,etc.
I’m counting on this.. I’m 34 and just found out I have stage 4 arthritis in my knee.
I’m a couple years your junior and I’ll second that…if they can do disc material in the spine, too, that’d be sweet.
I had a fusion and disc replacement at 43. Feeling pretty good 10 months later. Back in water etc.
Good to hear! my partner same age just out of hospital 2 days ago with the same op…
Gen-X, Gen-Y, and millenial sporting culture might as well be considered a constitutive part of the medical industrial complex. You know, beyond all the quotidian consumer habits that kill major organs and cause cancer. Where’d I leave my cigs?
There is a rich history of prolonging the shelf-life of a surfer. Doc Paskowitz, Gerry Lopez, Tom Curren, the Duke and the King have all shown its possible to surf at a high level for a long time, and if your lucky, until nearly the end. It starts with diet and staying in shape when your not surfing. Say what you want about logging, but its way easier on your body than hucking massive airs.
For every Doc and Gerry there is 3000 slackers like me, who class getting out of bed in the morning exercising…
Don’t forget plunging the coffee. I’m spent after that.
You plunge coffee? Do you live in Invercargill? get on the stovetop programme before I stop speaking to you.
I’m not even 30 yet (getting close) and every time I see a Dr or Chiropractor for something they ask, “what’re you doing to yourself?” or the ever awesome, “oh wow…”. By 50 I’ll be in a wheelchair.
Introspective Rory Parker might just be my favorite one.
The kids doing huge airs joints will be so wrecked. I once saw a thing on JDubs, and his physio was saying that “Julians body has a lot of milage on it”. Airs, a real killer of knees, and ankles, ask JJF
Get to your fighting weight.
Get on the fish oil, turmeric and other natural anti-inflams.
You’ve already given up on the reality of young pussy so thats the hardest mental hurdle overcome.
bahaha given up on young pussy!!!! classic
its all mental though
Just turned 50 last week. No whining at 35 is allowed Rory. But I think you’re right about the “lights out, you’re done” bit. I live my life accordingly and have found that many here do too…
Fuck what doctors say anyways, there’s no predicting the future
ouch , made it to 60 , and yeah all those old injuries , shoulder reconstructions , 10 x torn calf muscles, broken knee , bad lower back ,torn medials , cancer ,hormones , 20 accidents in cars , comas it all adds up to…..still surfing , still love riding new bds , now we don’t tell surf stories and womanizing , its all about what doctor are you seeing, what are you taking and how do we deal with slower get ups …????
I wear my injuries as badges of honor , they all tell a story , so chin up ol chap , by the time you get to my age there will be big wave pools , being rocketed into big waves by catapults , and you can surf with awalker…..