Weekends and Boards

Is the meaning of value an expensive object that you own and cherish? Could it be a special moment that you experience every so often? In today's society, most people value something that they posses. It can be as simple as a piece of clothing or as complex as a car. However, would you know the difference between something that has value and something that doesn't?

On a Friday afternoon, the students are counting down the minutes until they are free. I sit in graphics class, as the clock races to two o' clock. We rush to write down our homework and gather up our backpacks, finishing up our projects on the computers.

The last bell of the day finally rings and the class is dismissed. We rush out of the school and in a good mood and I wait patiently for my brother to get outside and unlock his jeep, which towers over me. As we storm out of the parking lot, we try our best to avoid traffic and the music from his Ipod blares rap over the car stereo. I ride home with the whole weekend in front of me and I can finally relax, thinking about my plans for the next two days.

I grab my scratched up board by the plain black, sharp grip tape that has “Fat-Trax” in colorful letters on the bottom of the board as a graphic. Fat-Trax is a skateboarding, snowboarding, and biking shop. On the bottom also include trucks, wheels and bearings. Trucks are a metal component bolted to the board that is used for steering and the wheels are set to them. Wheels are what enable me to roll and bearings are circles that fit inside them, which lets them spin. Without all of these necessities, skateboarding would not be possible for me.
I walk outside and lay my board under me as I begin to roll down the street. I Pop and flip the board under my feet, and I land trick after trick just as a warm up. We are lucky enough to be granted a ride from one of our parents to the local skate park where we meet up with other friends.

We host a miniature contest for fun to see who can perform the best maneuvers. I go for my difficult trick that I have been practicing in front of all my friends. Surprisingly I come very close to pulling it off. My friend has his camera nearby and it influences me to try it again. I build up adrenaline and I drop in on the ramp. I gain speed and set up my feet on the nose. I pop the board and it flips between my legs, coming back around to the grip tape. My feet reunite with the board as I stomp on it, riding away and landing the trick perfectly making it look easy. My friends cheer and I review my trick filmed on the camera.

I value my Friday afternoons and my skateboard very much. These values both make me happy and they are ones I wouldn’t trade for anything. While I am on my way out the door after school on Friday, I feel a sense of freedom that is similar to when I am riding on my board. These values also let me relax. Even though skateboarding doesn’t sound relaxing, I feel that it is because I am not only riding and having fun, but I am spending time with my friends too.

However, I do see my two values differently too. For example, my skateboard lets me express my creativity and it gives me the opportunity to impress my peers. Friday afternoons are different because they just make me happy when I am out of school and I have the whole weekend to do what I please without having to worry about getting to bed early or if I have my gym clothes prepared for the next day.

In my opinion, value is what makes me happy and what matters to me the most regardless of the price because anyone can buy an object if they have enough money. You cannot put a price tag on a memory or a priceless moment. An object can be lost, stolen, or broken, but if a memory is special enough, it will stay with you forever.