The joy of repetition
- TEXT STEFAN WAGNER
The joy of repetition John Kitchin, aka Slomo, does the same thing every day: He rollerblades up and down the boardwalk in Pacific Beach, San Diego. This is his story
Living the California Dream was making me depressed: I was a successful doctor, a neurologist with a private practice in Long Beach. I had a villa, a pool, a tennis court, a Ferrari in the garage and several million dollars in the bank. But 20 years ago, I realized that none of that made me happy.
I used to rollerblade at night, just to relax. Gliding around, I felt like I was eleven or twelve years old again – completely free, without a care in the world. Then I decided to change my life radically, give up everything and just concentrate on skating.
I sold almost all of what I owned and moved into a small apartment on the beach right here in San Diego. I’ve been celebrating my freedom every single day since then. I rollerblade up and down the boardwalk, usually at sunset, wearing shorts so that I can feel the wind blowing gently around my legs. I laugh out loud because I’m happy and people laugh with me. I’ve become a permanent fixture on the boardwalk here.
Over time, I developed my own style of skating with my arms outstretched. It feels like a cross between surfing and flying. I acquired the nickname “Slomo” because I rollerblade so slowly. Slomo as in slow motion. “Hey Slomo,” people say, “what’s up?” Sometimes my hands hurt from all the high-fives.
People always want to know whether I don’t get bored just skating up and down. I most definitely don’t. But there are days when this surprises even me. It’s probably connected to the fact that I’m doing it of my own free will. Every day, I decide to do exactly what I want to do, and every day, I choose to do exactly the same thing.
SAN
GETTING THERE
Lufthansa flies five times weekly from Frankfurt (FRA) to San Diego (SAN). Use the app to calculate your miles. Download here: miles-and-more.com/app