Monday, February 16, 2009

A Rabbit's Teachings




So yesterday we went on our weekly jaunt to see the skate parks of Kansas. I had seven kids plus myself and my son (who now skateboards) all packed into my van for the trip to Derby. They have a cool park that is all concrete which is different than the others we have hit lately. There was a little whining going on, some out of town rivalry and a lot of one up manship but all in all it was a great day. I got some great pictures of Mick skating and trying to grind and even a couple where he tried to jump off a box. On the way home we decided to stop in Winfield in order to hit the more familiar and far less crowded park and get a few last minute pics before our meeting tonight to discuss where the skate park is headed. When there one of the kids forgot his Slipknot jacket ($65 at the concert, not easy to come by for a kid) so I drove back up after dropping the punks off to see if I could find it. Unfortunatelly the jacket was gone but a few of the older skaters were still there that had been there when we had been skating. Of coarse they didn't take it and neither did their friends who had already left yet they messed up by telling me no one else had been there. Interesting huh? Doesn't take Batman or Scooby Doo to figure this one out. So in the end I got lied to some and passed on warning that will make whoever has it wish to never wear it. If we find the kid with it I'm not sure really what will happen but I can figure it won't be good. Anyways to the point of the story myself and the kid were texting off and on throughout the evening when he expressed interest in becoming a rabbit. I told him he already was due to the fact all it takes to be a rabbit is to be good to your fellow man. The text conversation that followed still amazes me.9:29 I wanna be a rabbitreply- You already are. You always take care of your friends.9:32- I don't like to watch people get shot down. That can make some peoples lives hell for life.reply- See you already are a rabbit.9:34- Equal rights and justice for the deserving.reply- Hell yeah you get it.9:36- That's what we live for.reply- And it's what we would die for.9:38- Our family and friendsreply- and those that can't defend themselves9:40- Thus one rabbit down for an innocent is one rabbit lost but one rabbit gained.reply- You are one smart man.If you are asking yourself if we are a gang the answer is no. Being a rabbit is a way of life. You can't just become a rabbit you either are one or you're not. It takes guts to stand up for yourself but it takes heart to stand up for others and that is what being a rabbit is. I get asked why I do things for the kids. The answer is simple, I'm a rabbit. These texts may not impress you but it sure did me because it showed that not only do these kids listen, they take what I tell them and carve their own paths with it. Call it whatever you will a rabbit, a skater punk, a local, a coalition member and in the end you get the same result. A group of kids that just need a cause and something to believe in, namely themselves and each other. They depend on one another, talk shit to one another, fight with one another, love one another. Strange that sounds like a family to me. And the funny thing is it doesn't stop at the end of practice or when season is over. There is no season in these kids lives, they are tight knit every day. Funny that a town that is just now even recognizing them as a sport hasn't been able to teach other teams this kind of comradery, understanding, and passion. I'm proud they chose me to hang with and am proud they let me be involved with their team. They may just all be rabbits without ever knowing it.

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