The Thirteenth Hour Podcast #472: Reflections from an Aging Bboy

The Thirteenth Hour Podcast

The Thirteenth Hour Podcast #472: Reflections from an Aging Bboy

https://archive.org/download/podcast-472/Podcast%20472.mp3

This week, I went for a walk with my dog (sorry in advance for the audio, which may have some cars and summer insects buzzing in the background) and was reflecting on a question I often get asked when I say that I still enjoy doing things like gymnastics and breaking. These are things generally thought of as activities for young people, and I’m not going to debate that they are easier in many ways when you are younger. But the implicit meaning – “why are you doing something that is not consistent with your age?” is very similar to one that gets posed to children as they transition to adults – give up those childish aspects of youth and act your age; act like an adult. In the words of the father from The Neverending Story, “You’re old enough to get your head down out of the clouds and start keeping both feet on the ground.” However, for this one, I will say that well-meaning peers aside, aging also essentially asks the same question. So this week, I’m pondering some of the things that keep me doing things like breaking even though the evidence (effects of aging on the body’s strength, flexibility, and agility; propensity for injuries; longer healing time; less risk tolerance, etc), seems to point the other way.

I’ve never had an answer for either other people or my own body on days when it does not want to cooperate as to why I still continue other than I love it. It’s very simple in that way. My life with gymnastics and bboying is better with than without. And I don’t think I can say it much better than two people who are still doing their chosen activities well beyond the typical age:

1.) Oksana Chusovitina, a 49 year old 8x Olympic gymnast currently planning to train for the 2028 games who said “I don’t force myself to train. I still do it with joy, so I always say, ‘Why should I give up what makes me happy? … I want to show that if a female gymnast wants to train, if she likes it, why should she retire if she is 30 years old?” Why, indeed?

2.) Bboy Storm, one of the original bboys from back in the 80s and 90s (West Germany was one of the countries that picked up the breaking bug after it lost steam in mainstream US and went underground), says basically the same thing about breaking into your 50s.

Thanks for listening!

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Don’t forget that the original hunter action figure from A Shadow in the Moonlight is available on Etsy!

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Check out the growing line of Thirteenth Hour toys and other products on the Thirteenth Hour Studio Etsy store (https://www.etsy.com/shop/ThirteenthHourStudio). There are a number of custom figures from retro films being sold for charity that available there as well.

Check out this collaboration with past show guest Jeff Finley on handpan:

Follow along on Spotify! There is also a growing extended Thirteenth Hour playlist on Spotify with a growing number of retro 80s songs.

Check it out!

As always, thanks for listening!

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ynth EP soundtrack to the novella, Empty Hands, is now out for streaming on Bandcamp.

Stay tuned. Follow along on Spotify! There is also a growing extended Thirteenth Hour playlist on Spotify with a growing number of retro 80s songs.

Check it out!

As always, thanks for listening!

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