A couple years ago i was a 2
0' stakebed driver for a huge parts distribution warehouse
in Los Angeles. Everybody there new i was big time into sno
wboardin, bodyboardin, and playing rollerhockey.
 &
nbsp;   Mike was an order taker on the phones the
re. He would always ask me how my trip was to Tahoe, Mammot
h, Big Bear, or Park City, Utah. And, was always sooo stoke
d to hear about it. He told me he has terminal cancer in hi
s bones and that he always wanted to try to snowboarding. A month ago, he called me up and said the doctors advise
d him to start smokin "pot" to help ease the pain in his bo
nes, after chemotherapy. He wanted me to smoke ou
t with him, as a friend.we would go to Laker games & Do
dger games. He loved football, baseball, basketball, and ho
ckey.
     So in May i set us u
p with a weekend stay at Mammoth Mountain Inn. I rented all
the gear for Mike and jumped in with him in a 2-hour instr
uction class. (I strongly suggest, if you are just startin
out snowboardin, you will not regret jumpin in a class to s
tart out. You will have a more fullfilling experience, than
if you tried to learn on your own.)
   &
nbsp; After that, we went up the easy lift run and he flew
down like he was skateboardin down a descent hill. Did not
fall once. He cruzed and i was right behind him cheering, h
ootin, hollarin at him. Going, "YEEAAAHHH!!!.....Mikee!!!!.
....you fuckin killin it bro!!!!! Nice!!!! Throw some snow!
!!!! YYYEEEOOOHHH!  
    
We got to the bottom and met at the ski lift. He turned to
me and said, "Dude,.......I wish i could have done this al
l my life. I would live here and work to ride!Thanks Bobby
for makin this day possible."
I said, "Dude, we are for
three days..........we are just gettin started bro! I told
him, "your a freakin natural the way you just style down th
e line. It looks like you've been doin this for a couple of
years already.  How do you feel bro ?He pau
sed and said, "I don't know if i want to cry right now.....
......or shoot off a shotgun!!!!!" I started laughin and ye
llin, "Fuck yeah!!!!!! OOOOWWWW!!!!! By the end of the day,
we went up to the top. Chair 23. 11,053 FEET above sea lev
el.
The whole time at Mammoth, i have seen him smile &am
p; laugh, more than i ever seen him the whole time i've kno
wn him.
     It seemed like he was n
o longer stricken with cancer because of this rad time we'v
e been havin. On the last day he was learning how to cruze
over the big jumps in the terrain parks.......and just havi
ng a fuckin blast!!!!!!
     I was s
ooooo glad i could be apart of a happy experience for Mike.
He has dealt with soooo much pain & depression for the
last 5 years of his life. He didn't have alot of friends b
ecause of his conditon.
    2 weeks ago,
another friend from the place we used to work said, "Hey Bo
bby, hows it going man?!"   I said, "Life couldn'
t be fuckin any better." He said there's a letter for me th
ere. So i cruised up there to check it out & wondering
if i would see Mike there. (I wasn't sure if he was battlin
again with chemo treatments or not.) I got there and a ope
ned up an envelope.
    Mike had written
me a thank you letter for teaching him about my love for sn
owboarding and the classic time we had at Mammoth. He also
said that the doctors said there is no reason to continue t
he chemo treatments because his cell count was deminishing
at a rapid pace.............................and that.......
..........................he only................had days..
..............to live...........

He said thank you &
amp; good bye......all in one letter.

There was a no
te attached to the back of letter. It said, "There's someth
ing in Rick's office, that i left ya. Bobby Macias.......ne
ver change bro!!! Please continue to B postive in your
life & help others!! They could use a friendship like
yours man!!!" I went in to Rick's office and in the corner
of the room.............was a brand new BURTON SNOWBOARD!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A 156 inch burton snowboard!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!  A fuckin snowboard!!!!!!!!!!
I started to f
uckin cry..............i was soooooo fuckin stoked!!!!!!!But sad that Mike was gone!!!!!!!
Then, I just rememb
ered all the killer moments on our Mammoth trip........And
i realized that i was soooo lucky to know Mike in my lifeti
me.
This experience has definetly affected my life.....
.................and helps me to become the man i am today,
for the rest of my life.
......................Maybe th
is was suposed to happen. I don't know.............I have&n
bsp;a new appreciation for life.
 The other day i p
assed by a house and thought, "Wow! Look how green & br
ight the lawn in the front yard of that house looks!Man, th
at is sweet. They're doing a good job there.!
 &nb
sp;   We only live here once right...............
.....................why don't we make our lives easier. In
stead of stressin ourselves out over little things or nothi
ng? To smile instead of frown......To be stoked instead of
pissed.
     Mike was 34 years young
......................it just wasn't hi
s time yet. He nevery said to anyone that he wanted to quit
. He kept in the fight with hope. I didn't know him that we
ll. But, at Mammoth, it felt like.....he was a long lost fr
iend that i have known all my life.


In Loving Me
mory to a friend & buddy who smiled & laughed &
shared a great time on a Mammoth Mountain: "May You Rest I
n Piece BRO!!!!!! I will never forget you........and......T
hank You....Thank you with all my heart!:

 &nbs
p;         &nb
sp;          M
ichael Morris   

   &n
bsp;         &
nbsp;        R.I.P 
          
;   3-1-71      &nb
sp;   to   5-15- 2006

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