The weekend before the biggest U.S. election in modern-day history I decided to do things that would destress me and help me find my inner kid.
To add a little context, I had Friday off + the weekend wide open to do all the things I’ve been jotting down over the past couple of weeks.
I went to a baseball batting cage
This was inspired by the Dodgers winning the world championship and a yearning to get back to my first sport, baseball. I hadn’t swung a bat in over 18 years. I stopped playing baseball around age 10 and never picked it back up.
That all ended this weekend as I spent 30 straight minutes hitting 200+ balls. Surprisingly, I wasn’t bad. At all. My swing was horrific, but I made contact on 80% of the balls I swung at.
Confidence, restored. Back, sore.
I bought a skateboard & skate shoes
A lifetime ago I was a skater. I skated every day. I was in a skate crew. We cruised the town all day. We hit all the skateparks. We went on skate trips. I wasn’t that good back then, but good enough to hang with the crew.
After hitting the batting cage, I bought a skateboard from Lotties Los Angeles.
Here’s the board I bought:
I also bought skate shoes. I’ve been on the hunt for a specific shoe…and they’ve been sold out online for months.
But after a random excursion in the mall…yes the mall…I found the shoes!
This is Converse’s first skate shoe that is a signature shoe for a woman, Alexis Sablone. Alexis is a true maverick in the skateboard industry. Also, I’ve decided that these will be my everyday shoes, not my skate shoes. That other pair, the Vans, will be my skate shoe.
I’ve spent the past two days skating, getting old tricks back in my bag, and rolling my ankle about 100 times. It’s been great, refreshing, and amazing to feel like a kid…again.
Oh, and skateboarding as an adult is 100x harder than when I was 12.
I went to a drive-in movie!
Shoutout to Array and Ava Duvernay for hosting.
An amazing event: “Get Out” and Vote!
Also, the backdrop of Downtown Los Angeles was stellar.
Drive-in movies remind me of my country hometown and my childhood as my family would regularly visit the drive-in (as it was the cheaper option). Summertime, in the old Ford Explorer, laying in the back with blankets and popcorn.
Oh, to be a kid, again.
I visited my Grandma
My Grandma turned 78 yesterday. It was nice to see her and now that I live 20 minutes away I’m planning to see her at least once a month.
Visiting my Grandma, on my Father’s side, is an old pastime that I remember fondly. The long 2-hour drive from my hometown to Long Beach. The long weekends with my cousins. The food, the park, the adventure.
That was restored this weekend by simply reminiscing on the days of my childhood when she took care of me during the holidays.
Now that my back is hurting…baseball.
And my knees are sore…skateboarding.
And my cheerfulness is restored…drive-in.
And my memories of a good childhood are back…thank Grandma.
I urge you to find your inner child when you have the time.
Love,
Corey