Conor Oberst

Wakeboarding Strapped in floating helplessly in the water I wondered what is going to happen. The engine starts and I start to get nervous with jitters, the same question repeating in my mind what is going to happen.” It was my first time attempting to wakeboard. I had learned how to kneeboard years before and loved to tube but the wakeboard was different. It needed talent not something you could just do. The kneeboard had one strap that goes around my knee not restraining me in anyway. I can swim with the kneeboard because it is not attached to my body. Wakeboard on the other hand makes it arduous to swim or even float in the water. The board was bright red and yellow with a black strip going down the middle that read in fancy letters “Hydroslide.” The booties of the board were black that tightened by a push of a button that was secured by an ankle strap. I strapped myself into the board, secured my life vest and grabbed the light purple ski rope thinking to myself if I fall which way do I want to go; face plant or sprained ankles. I guess face plant would not be so horrible. I jumped off the side of our Glastron speed boat to figure out I could not do anything in a wakeboard expect float and attempt to tread water though that did not matter I was so excited about trying wakeboard I felt like I could fly. The breeze made me chilly and caused my burnet color hair to move in the wind. Once positioned into the water I was ready or so…

10 minutes to 11am when I reached I-81. 77 follows 81 west for a few miles then turns north into West Virginia. Surprised that I-81 was in good shape, considering the weather. Proceeding cautiously, due to the obvious black ice on the roadway. I turned north following I-77 further into West Virginia. I needed gas now, before going any further. I took the Princeton West Virginia exit. At the bottom of the exit was a semblance of a highway. Didn’t look like anybody had turned left from that…

And that is all you can really ask of yourself when you feel like you can’t ask anything of anyone. As Conor Oberst sings, “I’m going to work for my sanity, give it everything I got.” So when I want to sleep forever, when I want to feign illness and skip school, when I want to shut down and not speak for hours, I will work against it. For my sanity, for my sanity, and for my sanity. If seemingly all I have to wake up to is a cup of coffee some mornings, I will get up, and I will pour it myself.…