Yo-Yo
The best gifts can often be the ones we are not looking for. They may not be the items at the top of your list. Perhaps they are not on your list at all.
I just turned 28 over the weekend and received a few gifts. My biggest gift, however, was a new 50" DLP TV we got right before the SuperBowl. Needless to say, I had to agree with my wife to not spend any more money on myself...ever! So this birthday was very light and rightfully so. Seriously, watching 24 & American Idol in HD (high definition) every week makes up for my lack of gift quantities.
But this is not what I'm talking about. Oh sure, I have an Amazon wish list. I always *try* and point my family in that direction when they ask me what I want. I never can seem to remember what I want at the exact moment someone asks me, so I just point them to my wishlist. When I see things I would like, I usually log on to Amazon and add them there....then forget about it. It's always a nice surprise. But no one follows that list. Ever. I'm serious. I received 3-6 gifts on my birthday (do pieces of clothing count individually?) and none of them were on my list. Well, one was money and that's always welcome! And don't get me wrong I like all of my gifts (I'm wearing some today)....I just wonder why no one likes to go by lists?
Again, I have digressed. This post wasn't even supposed to be about my birthday. My thoughts centered around Christmas. Yeah, I know I haven't even written anything since before then and it's been more than 2 months since the holiday, but it's on my mind.
My wife is crazy about stocking stuffers. It's something I always - ALWAYS - forget. Bad husband! Luckily, she remembers and gets stuff for the kids. Her family always does stocking stuffers and, I recently found out, so does mine! Why didn't I remember this? Why did it never stick? I mean, I remember having stockings hanging from the mantle. I just don't remember getting excited about what was in them! I don't even remember what was in them! I was always looking forward to the big present Santa left in front of the fireplace.
OK Count...stick with me here. Focus. You've drifted again.
Stocking stuffers. Certainly no stocking stuffer is going to be on my list (unless you can fit a DVD or a CD in there) so I still don't eagerly await what's inside. However, there is always cool stuff in there. Like Nerds candy, or a desk calendar (Three Stooges this year!), or a miniature game or something else from childhood.
This year, in a stocking stuffer from my mom, I found a yo-yo. A yo-yo. Immediately I was thinking to myself "What in the world am I going to do with a yo-yo?" Come on, I'm 28 (well, 27 then) and who has time for a yo-yo? So I promptly set it next to some hand cream and purell lotion I had received in other stockings (do people not know that I'm a guy? hahaha) and tried to forget about it.
A few days later, after gathering together Christmas presents (that had already exited my short-term memory and stayed langushing downstairs in non-conspicuous locations), I saw the yo-yo again. It certainly looked cooler than any yo-yo I ever had as a child. The name sounded tough: "Yomega - High Performance Yo-Yo". It can't be all bad with a name like Yomega! So I broke open the package and wrapped the string around my middle finger.
Now, when I was a little kid, yo-yos were not my forte`. It would take about 3.5 seconds for the string to get all wrapped around inside itselft and drastically shorten the yo-yo until it became unusable. Either that or the thing would fall to the ground and never return to my waiting hand. Perhaps I never had the right kind...or the right training...at any rate, I was yo-yo deficient and all of those thoughts flooded my mind as I prepared to engage the Yomega.
This new yo-yo, however, was not like any that I had ever seen as a child. The plastic outsides were clear and you could see through to the wound string in the middle. On one side there were springs with little ball-bearings or something. Was it a trick yo-yo?
Half-heartedly, I flicked my wrist and unraveled the yo-yo. Upon reaching the end of its rope (haha...good one Count) it promptly sprang back up into my hand. Success on the first try? This had certainly never happened before. So I did it again. And again. And again. Each time a little faster and harder than before until one time it reached the end of the string and stopped at the bottom. I was confused because I could still hear it whirring in it's spinning motion. I remember people trying to "stall" the yo-yo or do tricks or whatever, but as I told you before, my experiences with yo-yos left much to be desired. About 5 seconds later, the yo-yo jumped back up into my hand. I was excited, so I tried it again. Same result! I had instantly become the greatest yo-yo'er in the world!
I called my wife in to the room to look at my accomplishments. Her face did not match my enthusiasm, so I called in our daughters (who are 4 and 5). They were astonished! I was like a magician in their eyes! Over the next few hours, I tried things I had only heard about: walking the dog, doing the pendulum, around the world,etc... Some succeeded and some slammed into walls and glass tables prompting harsh stares from my spouse. But I didn't care...I had gone from zero to hero on a yo-yo all thanks to the Yomega!
For the next month, I would grab that thing whenever I had the chance. My girls would come up to me and say "Daddy, can I play with your yo-yo?"
"Not right now, daddy is playing with his Christmas present."
All of a sudden, this item that I had dismissed as a lame gift had become my most prized possession! This toy that was as far from my wish list as hand lotion had transformed into the one thing I could not live without! Why? How? Hmm....good questions. I don't know. But it taught me a lesson (that I have heard over and over) in a more practical way.
You see, there are things in this world that we want and things that we need. We all know that we can't always get what we want and that we should be content by having the things that we need. Human nature is not always so and we find ourselves whining (no matter how old we get) about what want or don't get. Here's the point: if we don't take the time to appreciate what we have, we will never be satisfied with what we get! Of course we've all heard it, but it doesn't stop us from making wish lists. Oh, they may not be physical lists, but we have ideas in our heads.
In life we will have ups and downs (oh, Count, you slay me with the yo-yo metaphors) but as long as we love and appreciate the people & things around us, we will always be happy.....We may even be surprised by what we have! Our most prized possession may be wallowing in the bottom of a stocking!
The Yomega has been collecting dust for a few weeks. It sits on my dresser and I haven't pulled it down in awhile. But everytime I see it I remember this entire story I have relayed to you (tangents and all) and it reminds me to be content with what I have. I have been blessed with so much and all it took was a yo-yo from my Mom to really bring it home.
I just turned 28 over the weekend and received a few gifts. My biggest gift, however, was a new 50" DLP TV we got right before the SuperBowl. Needless to say, I had to agree with my wife to not spend any more money on myself...ever! So this birthday was very light and rightfully so. Seriously, watching 24 & American Idol in HD (high definition) every week makes up for my lack of gift quantities.
But this is not what I'm talking about. Oh sure, I have an Amazon wish list. I always *try* and point my family in that direction when they ask me what I want. I never can seem to remember what I want at the exact moment someone asks me, so I just point them to my wishlist. When I see things I would like, I usually log on to Amazon and add them there....then forget about it. It's always a nice surprise. But no one follows that list. Ever. I'm serious. I received 3-6 gifts on my birthday (do pieces of clothing count individually?) and none of them were on my list. Well, one was money and that's always welcome! And don't get me wrong I like all of my gifts (I'm wearing some today)....I just wonder why no one likes to go by lists?
Again, I have digressed. This post wasn't even supposed to be about my birthday. My thoughts centered around Christmas. Yeah, I know I haven't even written anything since before then and it's been more than 2 months since the holiday, but it's on my mind.
My wife is crazy about stocking stuffers. It's something I always - ALWAYS - forget. Bad husband! Luckily, she remembers and gets stuff for the kids. Her family always does stocking stuffers and, I recently found out, so does mine! Why didn't I remember this? Why did it never stick? I mean, I remember having stockings hanging from the mantle. I just don't remember getting excited about what was in them! I don't even remember what was in them! I was always looking forward to the big present Santa left in front of the fireplace.
OK Count...stick with me here. Focus. You've drifted again.
Stocking stuffers. Certainly no stocking stuffer is going to be on my list (unless you can fit a DVD or a CD in there) so I still don't eagerly await what's inside. However, there is always cool stuff in there. Like Nerds candy, or a desk calendar (Three Stooges this year!), or a miniature game or something else from childhood.
This year, in a stocking stuffer from my mom, I found a yo-yo. A yo-yo. Immediately I was thinking to myself "What in the world am I going to do with a yo-yo?" Come on, I'm 28 (well, 27 then) and who has time for a yo-yo? So I promptly set it next to some hand cream and purell lotion I had received in other stockings (do people not know that I'm a guy? hahaha) and tried to forget about it.
A few days later, after gathering together Christmas presents (that had already exited my short-term memory and stayed langushing downstairs in non-conspicuous locations), I saw the yo-yo again. It certainly looked cooler than any yo-yo I ever had as a child. The name sounded tough: "Yomega - High Performance Yo-Yo". It can't be all bad with a name like Yomega! So I broke open the package and wrapped the string around my middle finger.
Now, when I was a little kid, yo-yos were not my forte`. It would take about 3.5 seconds for the string to get all wrapped around inside itselft and drastically shorten the yo-yo until it became unusable. Either that or the thing would fall to the ground and never return to my waiting hand. Perhaps I never had the right kind...or the right training...at any rate, I was yo-yo deficient and all of those thoughts flooded my mind as I prepared to engage the Yomega.
This new yo-yo, however, was not like any that I had ever seen as a child. The plastic outsides were clear and you could see through to the wound string in the middle. On one side there were springs with little ball-bearings or something. Was it a trick yo-yo?
Half-heartedly, I flicked my wrist and unraveled the yo-yo. Upon reaching the end of its rope (haha...good one Count) it promptly sprang back up into my hand. Success on the first try? This had certainly never happened before. So I did it again. And again. And again. Each time a little faster and harder than before until one time it reached the end of the string and stopped at the bottom. I was confused because I could still hear it whirring in it's spinning motion. I remember people trying to "stall" the yo-yo or do tricks or whatever, but as I told you before, my experiences with yo-yos left much to be desired. About 5 seconds later, the yo-yo jumped back up into my hand. I was excited, so I tried it again. Same result! I had instantly become the greatest yo-yo'er in the world!
I called my wife in to the room to look at my accomplishments. Her face did not match my enthusiasm, so I called in our daughters (who are 4 and 5). They were astonished! I was like a magician in their eyes! Over the next few hours, I tried things I had only heard about: walking the dog, doing the pendulum, around the world,etc... Some succeeded and some slammed into walls and glass tables prompting harsh stares from my spouse. But I didn't care...I had gone from zero to hero on a yo-yo all thanks to the Yomega!
For the next month, I would grab that thing whenever I had the chance. My girls would come up to me and say "Daddy, can I play with your yo-yo?"
"Not right now, daddy is playing with his Christmas present."
All of a sudden, this item that I had dismissed as a lame gift had become my most prized possession! This toy that was as far from my wish list as hand lotion had transformed into the one thing I could not live without! Why? How? Hmm....good questions. I don't know. But it taught me a lesson (that I have heard over and over) in a more practical way.
You see, there are things in this world that we want and things that we need. We all know that we can't always get what we want and that we should be content by having the things that we need. Human nature is not always so and we find ourselves whining (no matter how old we get) about what want or don't get. Here's the point: if we don't take the time to appreciate what we have, we will never be satisfied with what we get! Of course we've all heard it, but it doesn't stop us from making wish lists. Oh, they may not be physical lists, but we have ideas in our heads.
In life we will have ups and downs (oh, Count, you slay me with the yo-yo metaphors) but as long as we love and appreciate the people & things around us, we will always be happy.....We may even be surprised by what we have! Our most prized possession may be wallowing in the bottom of a stocking!
The Yomega has been collecting dust for a few weeks. It sits on my dresser and I haven't pulled it down in awhile. But everytime I see it I remember this entire story I have relayed to you (tangents and all) and it reminds me to be content with what I have. I have been blessed with so much and all it took was a yo-yo from my Mom to really bring it home.
posted by Count Olaf | 11:06 AM
3 Comments:
Nice story. Reminded me of my prized Duncan "Gold Award" yo-yo from late elementary school that I got pretty good with, plus that prized Duncan "Satellite" that I wanted so badly (it lit up when it spun), but by the time I got it I never played with it that much.
And it reminds me how the first 20 or so LPs, CDs, and DVDs I got were and always will be the most precious. The more I buy, the less important each new one becomes. Sad, isn't it?
True story: the first CD I ever purchased was Vanilla Ice "To The Extreme".
Wow--I just realized that I don't have a clear memory now of the first CD I purchased! Thinking hard--I'm pretty darn sure it was Paul McCartney's Tug of War. I was trying to get all of his CDs at the time because I thought they were about to go out-of-print (which they did for a while) because he was in the midst of changing record companies from Columbia back to his old Capitol. I must have had about 20 CDs by the time I finally got a player--I was planning ahead while I picked the perfect player, which turned out to be a Magnavox CDB-465 which had permanent programmable memory....
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