The World Through The Eyes Of A Skater.

Skateboarding has changed the way I look at the world in a number of ways. When I walk or ride through a new area I see things that non skaters wouldn't see. While soaking up all of the beautiful scenery I also see obstacles that could provide me with hours of fun on my skateboard. Outsiders see a crack in the sidewalk. I see a bump to gap over a large oak tree's roots. A regular citizen sees a sloped retaining wall. I see the potential for hours of fun wall riding it. Business owners see the stairs they walk up to get to work every morning as a pain. I see those same stairs and remember when I rolled my ankle trying to kick flip a similar set in my town when I was younger.

That just covers my visual perception of the world though. What about the way my perception of things is different than those of a normal person? Most people think of vandalism a little bit differently. To them the paint left behind by our boards is an eye sore that they can't seem to look past, but when I see it I imagine the skaters that were there before me and all of the work they put in to get their tricks. I try to leave behind as little as possible when I skate to help hide the fact that I've been skating there. I pick up my trash, and I get rid of any branches, rocks, mulch, etc that I moved in order to make skating the spot possible, because if there's no evidence that I was there then the normals are less likely to complain about how we destroyed the place. It's amazing how snapping off a few dead sticks so that you don't smack your head on them can set off a business owner if they see them laying around while you're skating there.

These are just a few ways that skating has changed my perception of the world, but there are many others, some effect us all, and others are unique. I'd love to hear how skating has changed the way you view the world, both visually and morally.