Leaving Skin in the Game

This photo was taken seconds before I left half the skin of my forearms on a country road in Thailand. I’m sharing it because I love it. Look at how happy I was! I just hauled my ass up two huge hills, and I wasn’t sure I was going to make it up the second one. This giant downhill was my reward, and I had to scream down it because I had another hill to ascend after it.

I love bombing hills, and coupled with the gorgeous scenery of the Thai countryside, this one was incredible. Unfortunately, I was on an actual road – that cars drive on – and I hit some speed bumps when I got to the bottom. (There’s got to be a metaphor for life in here, somewhere.) I did a perfect 6-pt fall, with the exception of the added friction of pavement burning some holes in my shirt, leggings and skin. I didn’t break any bones; I didn’t get a concussion. I got up, crawled in the back of a pickup truck, and cried as the wind stung my raw skin while I watched my friend skate another 4.5 miles of hills in front of me. I spent more than half of my vacation in Thailand with my arms looking like raw chicken, wrapped in Saniderm (thank god I brought some!) and arm sleeves in 93-degree heat. They really hurt, they were really gross, but it didn’t ruin my trip, and it definitely didn’t make me regret going down that hill. (I think I found it:)

Isn’t this the point of life? You’re going to have some really amazing experiences and sometimes you’re going to get hurt in the end. Do you let the potential pain stop you from having the amazing experience? Probably, sometimes. Should you? No, I don’t think so.

This is easier advice to give than to take, as I recover from some pain after a different amazing experience. But do I regret it? No, I don’t think so.