In high school, I saved up money from working at my job after school to buy my dream skateboard — a Mike McGill. My friend and neighbor Jarrett Green and I loved skateboarding and we both dreamed of owning a real California skateboard- not the cheap Montgomery Ward and Sears department store boards we rode.
We rode everywhere on our boards including to the local 7–11 where we would flip through the latest issue of Transworld Skateboarding magazine while drinking Slurpees. We would get ideas for the latest ramps we could build in Jarrett’s backyard using plywood found in factory dumpsters and covering them with free stickers including the requisite ‘Skate or Die.’
After saving for months, I went to the local skate shop and bought my dream board — a Mike McGill complete with OJII wheels and rails. When I first rode the board down the street, I can only describe the smooth ride as similar to standing on a bed covered in blankets and jumping side to side.
Three days after getting my dream board, I was riding home after high school and brought my board to a stop on the sidewalk next to busy Irving Park Road. As I went to turn the board to the right so I could pick it up, the back wheels got stuck in a crack and the board kicked out from under me and into the busy road. The next thing I saw and heard was a car running over my board and splitting it in two.
As I walked into Jarrett’s garage overcome with emotion carrying my broken board, he took the board, put some nails in it to hold the two pieces together and then said “You could make it a clock.”
We all have dreams we work for to get us from one day to the next. Sometimes, those dreams don’t turn out like we hoped but in the process we learn a lesson.
I still have my Mike McGill board and no it is not a clock — yet. However, I’m still friends with Jarrett and because of him I still have a love for skateboarding. We just need to be there for someone when their dreams come crashing down to help them see the positive whether it’s in personal life or at work.
Note: this story first appeared on my LinkedIn profile page.
