Today I’m going to share something that I hold very dear to my heart: yo-yos. (And then I defend myself while you people laugh at my immature tendencies. )
So! For those you keeping track, that makes two or three things I am about: writing, Honolulu, youth culture next level shit, and now: yo-yoing
Everyone knows what the yoyo was: a simplistic kid’s toy, similar to the idiocy of the ball on a string in a cup. A rolling piece of plastic on flimsy string that you tug back and forth on, sad-faced and alone. (I’m talking about a yoyo here, bros and sis)
Well like most old things that have survived the test of time, modern yo-yoing is nothing like what you’d expect. How so? For starters, yo-yo’s now look pretty damn cool, made of unique materials like aluminum alloy and space age metals. These follow pix are some of my toys; you can almost see the evolution of the yoyo: from cheap plastic thing to smooth metal accessory that just looks cool.
Each one plays a little bit different, due to its shape, ball-bearing, and inner guts. My hella cool rabbit friends approve of their rainbow yo-yo counterparts.
Answer 1. Why of course, it’s way more fun to play with super bright colors. They are easier seen, and show up much better than bland white when filmed, you voyeuristic freaks.
Answer 2. Well my attachment to these killer things are grounded in many reasons: historically, logically, spiritually, and creatively.
Answer 3. You buy the purple ones from me 
Check it right hurrr for deetz. I’ll even sign em if you want! LOL, as if.
Historically: In the 90′s the yoyo scene was huge in HNL and kids everywhere into em. I came of age in this scene; went to meets and clubs, and made friends that I still keep in touch with today. Besides video games, these were my memories of childhood.
Logically: I excelled at this. At one point I was hanging out among the best players in the world, and my skills were among their best.No boast no gloat, just plain truth… in circa 2000. Then I got jaded and quit. I had entered my cool years, wanted to be cool and very quickly picked up another hobby: Drugs.
After that particularly hellacious part of my life (which I will blog about later) naturally I gravitated toward anything non-substances that my battered ego and self could excel at. Why squander the skills from my childhood? I bought that white w/red accents plastic one up there in the first pic. I was sober; I was back.
Creatively: Playing around with skill toys is always a creative endeavor. Infinite variations and approaches, creative exercises that you can apply to all sorts of things in your life if you choose. Ultimately, yo-yo’s are quite good at triggering that dopamine in your head to keep you coming back. I’ve also read that in certain hotels in the Silicon Valley geared toward dot-com executives, a Rubik’s Cube and yo-yo are standard issue.
Spiritually: To put it bluntly: yo-yo’s helped me defeat my drug addiction. When I closed that chapter of life, I was fragile, no doubt. And while I had medication to address physical needs, the spiritual void and psychology addiction ran rampant. In that month, I always had a yo-yo in my hand. Whenever I felt a craving, or needed a distraction, the yo-yo was my rehab. It’s amazing what can save you.
This is why to this day I feel like I have the onus on me to share the joys of this toy, and what it can help you accomplish.
That’s why I sell yo-yo’s, and that’s why I have so many of them. You might not use it for rehab but it does not matter to me. I just want to share the magic of a simple thing, that you can undertake one small step at a time and genuinely progress. For me, that small step was something I needed, to feel whole again.
Wise men say “Success is progressive realization of a worthy ideal.” With this toy, I was able to realize some small win, everyday, that contributed to my current success of sobriety.
(If you want to support and buy a yoyo, here’s a link to my eBay auction.)
This post is why when people ask me why I sell, play, or love yo-yo’s so much, it is very hard for me to say.
Catch you next time, when it won’t be so dramatic lol.
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nice bro
You write so passionately about Yo-yoing that yo-yo kinda seem “cool” after this blog.
Always thought I was too much of an uncoordinated spazz for the yo-yo but I’m inspired reading this and might give it a shot!
it doesn’t matter how good you are, or how out of funk you be. it’s about enjoyment and that smile that irrevocably spreads on your face, bro.