Story of Graves

  

Being a parent often means preparing your kids for the hurdles in life that will eventually come. I routinely tell my children, “Hey, it’s just life… Don’t take it so seriously.” 

The goal of that statement isn’t meant to minimize the struggle or the emotions they’re experiencing. On the contrary, my hope is to offer my kids a new, fresh way of looking at things, freeing them from the weighty anchors named Fear and Anxiety.

McKenna and I have always had a good relationship. We have a constant running dialog on life, boys, fashion, and Singles Inferno. But recently, McKenna had her first major life hurdle thrown in her direction. And with her permission, this is how she handled it:

Several months ago, it came to our attention that McKenna might have a Hyper-Thyroid condition. Tests. And more tests followed. Last week, she finally got her diagnosis. It's Graves Disease...

Soon after, I received a text from McKenna, “Hey Dad, can you call me?” I was currently out to dinner with church friends, but I stepped away from the table to call her immediately. As soon as she picked up the phone, I could tell - McKenna was clearly shaken. The brash young lady I've come to know was gone. Only to be replaced by a tiny 3 year old who had just skinned her knee. But in that moment, I was able to meet her right where she was. We calmly discussed her diagnosis and treatments going forward. But mainly, I just reminded her of who she was. 

“McKenna, you are a strong independent woman who don’t need no man!” 

We both laugh out loud, as this is how McKenna constantly describes herself. And by the end of the call, McKenna asks me to pray for her, of which I was more than happy to do.

As the week progressed, I started to see signs of the brash young lady returning. And as her confidence grew, McKenna begins to roll out the news to her closest friends for support.

But just yesterday… She randomly texts me this picture of a cake???

 

McKenna then tells me that she wants to share her diagnosis with her college suite mates. So, she devises a plan. A plan that includes a power point presentation. And a cake decorating session???

But that’s exactly what happens… One night after dinner, McKenna calls an All-Suite Meeting. She brings up the slides and launches into her official presentation. After 10 minutes and a brief Q+A, she ends the meeting with a laughter-filled cake decorating party, with McKenna naming the cake “Graves”.

For McKenna to share the news of her diagnosis in a professional but light hearted way, placing the name of her disease onto a beautifully decorated cake is just beyond every level of maturity. If you know anything about psychology, the first step towards conquering your fear is to “name it”. But McKenna names hers written in pink!

From what I've experienced, most full grown adults already have a hard time getting their head around any kind of difficult news. But McKenna leaps that hurdle. Instead of just trying to wrap her head around it, McKenna wraps her arms around it. And embraces it.

I've always taught my kids to embrace life whether good or bad. For when you can wrap your arms around something, you can best handle any situation with grace and clarity.

I called McKenna yesterday to let her know how blown away I am by her creativity, resilience, and maturity. And how that strength must have come from her mom and not her dad. 😁 

But as I face another day of my own hurdles in life, my 20 year old daughter challenges me to embrace life, good or bad. And when faced with a difficult situation, the obvious solution is to bake a cake…

The Story of Siblings

As brother and sister, Nash and McKenna have always been close. And this is a story about them, “The Story of Siblings”.

As many stories do, this particular story starts out with disappointment. On Thursday afternoon, McKenna (a high school senior) received her first outright rejection to her #1 Dream School, Claremont McKenna College… To not even be deferred. To not even be waitlisted. To not even be considered, absolutely broke my daughter. McKenna’s legs could barely hold her weight as she literally fell into my embrace.

As her father, I had little words, only arms.

Once the tears had been wrung out of both our bodies, McKenna stood up strong like I knew she would. I asked her if she wanted to skip rehearsal tonight, but she declined. She would never let her castmates down regardless of her circumstance.

That’s when I telephoned Nash. Nash listened intently, but was stunningly silent as I broke the bad news.

“McKenna will be fine dude. At any rate, there is nothing we can do for her right now,” I explained to him.

But Nash wouldn’t have it…

Nash is currently a sophomore at Whitman College and also works in the Admissions Office as an intern.

Unbeknownst to me and completely of his own accord, Nash then sought out to speak with the Head of Admissions at Whitman College. Adam, the VP of Admissions was empathetic while listening to Nash’s rendition of McKenna’s story.

“Nash, as you know, the application process for Whitman is closed. HOWEVER…”

“Upon your personal recommendation, and if your sister is anything like you, we would be happy to make a special exception for McKenna if she would like to submit a late application to Whitman College.”

Cut to the chase, McKenna will now be submitting a late application for Whitman in the fall!

But honestly, this is not the story of college. This is “The Story of Siblings”.

I am simply blown away with how much love and care Nash has shown for his little sister. After hearing of McKenna's rejection, Nash’s heart broke with McKenna’s... And while he knew he was powerless to affect the outcome, Nash wouldn’t accept defeat. There was still something he could do.

And he did it.

In Nash’s follow up email to Adam, he wrote this, “I’m really happy I can help my younger sister with this, because what kind of brother would I be if I didn’t look out for her?”

And that encapsulates the bond between Nash and McKenna.

And that is “The Story of Siblings”.

All reactions:

8Tri Le, Laura Aguilar-Rogers and 6 others

IKEA and The Nest

I had a lot of my mind today. And as I typically do, I grab my Onewheel and head to the top of a mountain...

On this particular mountain top, there is a concrete pad I affectionately call “The Nest”. I often ride up here, plop down, and contemplate life until I sort it out or let it go.

But today, a random mountain biker ambles up to my pristine perch and says “Life is horrible today isn't it?” I laugh and reply, “Yup and the view from here sucks too!” 🤪

He introduces himself as “Edo” and sits directly in front of me criss cross applesauce. I'm guessing this guy wants to talk! 😁

Edo and his wife have 2 adult sons that live with them. He tells me about a time when he heard some rustling noise coming from one of the son's bedrooms. Edo smartly ascertains what's going on and waits for the rustling to stop before knocking on the door… The son comes out and Edo pulls him aside, “Son, have some common decency. If you're going to do that with your girlfriend, at least take her privately to the pool house!”

“But Dad, the pool house doesn't have curtains!”

So, the very next day Edo goes to IKEA, buy curtains, and installs them into the pool house! The son sees the new curtains, and immediately says “Thank you Dad! And thank you IKEA!" 🤪😂

Before he leaves, Edo drops this on me, “Kyle, the best thing you can give to your kids is your time… Love is great too. But if you make time for your kids now, later on in life, they will make time for you… “

Edo and I hug and shake hands as kindred souls. A Onewheeler and a Mountain Biker who once met on a mountain top. It's all good. “The Nest” easily has room for two… 

40+ONEWHEEL Rider Profile - "Bart Miller"

 

40+ONEWHEEL Rider Spotlight - "Bart Miller"

One of my favorite people in the Onewheel Community is unequivocally Bart Miller.

Everyone knows Bart Miller. Even if you think you don’t know Bart Miller, you actually do. Simply search for “Bart Miller Onewheel” on YouTube, and you will be taken to the most viewed Onewheel video clip of all time!

I remember my first interaction with Bart in 2020. I had just started riding, and like many of us, began to film my progression. I was so proud of my first video, but I wouldn't dare post it to any of the Onewheel Facebook Groups! I was a nobody beginner rider. There was nothing “stokeworthy” about my clip. It was just me riding around with a stupid grin on my face.

But one day, I posted it anyway… I fully expected to be mocked or ignored by the internet, but that’s not what happened. The very first person that showed up to acknowledge me was, of course, Bart Miller. In my video description, I remember making self-deprecating statements like, “I don’t know who’s gonna watch this thing, but here it is.”

But that’s when Bart chimed in saying, “Kyle, I loved your video. Keep making them. And even if no one else watches them, I WILL WATCH THEM!”

And that was my very first interaction with my friend Bart Miller.

Honestly, I’ve always wanted to author more “Rider Spotlights” delving more into the lives of riders. But I also knew that the first profile I ever wrote would be on Bart Miller and what he means to the Onewheel Community.

I could write about Bart’s fun-loving nonsensical approach to life or how he's known for riding with an ever present Bud Light in his hand, but I won't... I'd much rather highlight another side of Bart that you might not be aware of.

January 7th was my birthday. And while many people wrote “HB2U” on my Facebook page, Bart chose to reach out to me directly. There sparked a discussion between the two of us. In that conversation, I asked Bart if he ever gets tired of being a raging ball of energy at all the Onewheel Events he attends. I took a screenshot of his answer:

“Thank you Kyle. I take a tremendous amount of stress from the events and the people that are there. I create an environment for them to laugh and feel welcomed and loved. They walk away from me with a big smile on their face and a fresh hug to go along with it.
They then take that and share it with the next person they see. A few people doing this nonstop will change the entire dynamic of an event and can potentially make all the difference to quite a lot of people who came for exactly that ‘feeling’. How could I not give you all I have?”

When I read his text, it solidified for me that, “Bart Miller is my dude.” We think similarly and make life decisions for many of the same reasons, albeit Bart does it with much more flamboyance and flair than I ever will. 😁

It is often said that the best part of Onewheel is the community behind it. Bart Miller personifies that community. With so many people attending events chasing their own stoke and happiness, how many people are out there like Bart? Whose first concern is making sure every rider, regardless of skill level, feels welcomed and embraced by the community?

“We have to be good shepherds for the flock because the wolves are out there and there's a hell of a lot more em out there than there are us. I live my life one hug at a time. I truly enjoy the people I meet. I am grateful there are others like yourself who project and protect this beautiful way of living. Thank you 🙏”

For full transparency, I have NEVER actually met Bart in person. We have never talked face to face or ridden together side by side. I have yet to receive one of his famous “hugs of eternal friendship.” But that just speaks to how large Bart’s legend is, and the kind of presence he brings every day to the Onewheel Community.

Onewheel could and should be a One-Love Community where all of us can come together and experience a life-changing stoke in a safe and welcoming environment.

I believe that Bart Miller is destined to lead that epic charge heading into Onewheel’s future.

And my plan is to simply follow along… as long as I don’t nosedive first. 🤪 #onewheel #futuremotion #deftpunx

102

This is Jenny. Jenny has been my tailor for over a decade. In this pic, we're all smiles and Jenny is jokingly letting me know how she feels about me with her little sign over her head! :) But just last week, the air between us wasn't that friendly. And much of that is on me. I need to be better. And I will be. Here's the story:

Last week, I went to see Jenny to have some pants altered. Total cost? 102 dollars... I distinctly remember placing a 100 dollar bill on the counter and retrieving another 2 bucks from my car to complete the transaction. However, as you might have guessed, upon my return for pick-up, Jenny was fairly adamant that I hadn't paid and the receipt she showed me also indicated that I had not yet paid.

But I know I did.

Here's where things go south for me and where I don't like how I handled things… From there, I proceeded to plead my case assuring Jenny that I did indeed pay. Without going too far into the details, Jenny accepted my explanation and let me go with the pants in hand. However, I couldn’t shake the uncertainty in the air and in her eyes.

In my life, I live by a couple of principles. Here's 2 of them:

*Being right is overrated. What matters is how you make the other person feel

*Never let money get in the way of doing the right thing

Even though I was convinced in my mind that I was “right”, I don’t like that my priority during the initial exchange was “vindication” and not “grace”. All my efforts that day were geared towards being right without truly considering how Jenny felt.

As for the money… 102 dollars to me, means very little. That amount of cash will not affect my life in any significant way. However, to a seamstress who owns her little shop on the corner, 100 bucks means a lot. And I lost sight of that.

I remember calling my son Nash for advice. And together, we both agreed upon a course of action. So yesterday, I walked into Jenny’s Tailoring with an envelope in hand. Jenny and I immediately recapped our last transaction and how that all went down. I am now 100% sure that I paid in full from the beginning, with Jenny agreeing with me. But regardless of fault, I apologized for how I acted. Then I handed Jenny an envelope wishing her a Merry Christmas and exactly 102 dollars…

If you’re keeping score, this is an extra 102 dollars than I needed to pay. But that’s not what’s important here. I want Jenny to feel seen, heard, valued, and given the benefit of the doubt. I didn’t do that the first time, but I’m rectifying that now.

Jenny and I are back on good terms as evidenced by the picture. 102 dollars reinstated my good standing in the relationship. 102 dollars earned me a smile from Jenny and assured her that her word is as good as mine regardless of who’s right. 102 dollars solidified years of continued service with a smile. And a measly 102 dollars brought me a little self realization; that as a human, I’m still growing and need to keep my eyes towards improving every day.

Today is a good day.

And my pants fit spectacularly…

66

For today, let me share with you this one pic and the quick story of "66".

Yesterday, Lily and I were graciously offered a pair of tickets to the USC Football game vs Nevada, of which we happily accepted!

Getting to the Coliseum is always an adventure. So, we took my friend's advice and parked further away, then taking the Metro the rest of the way into the stadium.

Once parked, Lily and I were walking to the metro station when I saw Lily bend down and pick something off the ground. She immediately turns to me and says "Did you drop your money?"

I say "No".

Then she gets paranoid and checks to see that it's not her money that fell out of her purse. It wasn't...

Realizing that this was "found money", we just stood there for a few minutes waiting for the previous owner to show. But no one ever did.

As the clock ticked nearer towards game time, we had no choice but to leave.

And I guess this is the difference between Lily and I: I would have definitely counted the money right then and there! But she interestingly never did. I guess I'm way more Chinese than she is... 🤪

We arrive to the stadium on time to watch the Trojans secure a convincing victory. But like so many jaded Angelenos, we left midway into the 4th quarter to beat the traffic, totally unaware of the final score.

Once home, I flipped on Sportscenter to catch the highlights and final score of the game.

USC 66 Nevada 14

Then I ask Lily, "Hey, did you count the money yet?" And she says "Oh yeah, I forgot!" So she pulls it out the wad from her back pocket. And in an excruciatingly slow manner, she counts the money, and then counts it again.

"66 dollars" she exclaims.

I immediately hit the floor!!! 66 bucks is already a large number, but now I'm "roll on the floor" laughing!!!

"What is so funny?" Lily asks.

"Do you know how many points USC scored today?"

She indicated that she didn't.

"USC scored exactly 66 points in the game today! Just like the exact amount (66 dollars) you picked up on the way to the game!!! Is that not crazy?" 💵🤯

And that's my story... #66