( WARNING SERIOUS TOPIC) I need some help, I am conducting some research and I need Kendama specific stories and some quotes from any of you whom this message speaks to... “Nearly 45,000 suicides occurred in the United States in 2016 — more than twice the number of homicides — making it the 10th-leading cause of death. Among people ages 15 to 34, suicide is the second-leading cause of death. In half of the states, suicide among people age 10 and older increased more than 30 percent. According to the report, the suicide rate in Minnesota jumped 40.6 percent over 18 years Between 1999 and 2016, suicide rates in Minnesota have increased across age, sex and racial groups." These statistics are both gut wrenching, disturbing, and unacceptable. I have had close friends deal with suicidal thoughts and have gone deep into depression in my life myself, I am sure that some of you have a shared or personal experience that can relate this... This is a heavy, yet very really thing occurring in our communities and I believe Kendama can and is saving lives. How has Kendama Saved your life? Literally, Has Kendama helped you cope with/transform suicidal thoughts, Loss of a loved one, deep anxiety, Depression or challenging emotions in your life? If it has, How has kendama helped you cope with these experiences? How has Kendama brought life back into you? The problems most frequently associated with suicide, according to studies, are strained relationships; life stressors, often involving work or finances; substance use problems; physical health conditions; and recent or impending crises. The most important takeaway, mental health professionals say, is that suicide is an issue not only for the mentally ill but for anyone struggling with serious lifestyle problems." NOTE: ( you do not need to share your experience in the comments if you do not feel comfortable, you may personally message me @Joshuaflowgrove or we can connect through email Joshua@kendamaInstitute.org) How has Kendama Saved your life? sources:https://www.sprc.org/sites/default/files/Minnesota SuicidePreventionStatePlan2015.pdf https://www.twincities.com/2018/06/07/cdc-says-suicide-rates-are-up-in-minnesota-u-s-as-a-whole/
Josh does help run the nonprofit group Kendama Institute so it’s maybe for that? So far in FKC there’s been some really uplifting story about how Kendama has changed people’s life for the better. Thanks you for doing this @Joshua Flow Grove you are definitely the man.
Before I started playing kendama I was a severe alcoholic addicted to drugs and working a dead end job which hardly paid me what my time was worth. After I started playing kendama I just slowly weened off of drugs and I would play kendama all night instead of trying to find another way to get high. Before kendama I went through long bouts of depression and existential despair, didn't really know what I was doing with my life at all. Kendama got me moving again and increased my enthusiasm. Instead of getting high and drunk and staring at the TV for hours on end I would put on music and play kendama. I also started reading more and exercising more frequently. Instead of eating fast food, or no food at all, I started cooking my own meals again, praticing tricks as my food cooked on the stove top...to this day I probably play most of my kendama in the kitchen. Now, after playing kendama for about 4 years, I went from being unhealthy with a dead end job and no direction in life to having a wife, two beautiful children, a relatively healthy body and a six figure income at a job that pushes me to learn new skills on a regular basis. Thanks Obama...oh I mean, thanks Kendama.
Kendama has always helped me escape from certain mind states i wont go into super detail i could be very upset or sad, having a crappy day, dealing with certain things, i try to set those things aside and calm down but i cant just sit there and calm down and Kendama gives me something to focus my mind on, and after a certain time of playing my minds been able to rethink and evaluate what i was letting make me feel upset/sad this helps a lot especially if theres no one to talk about a problem with, Kendama helps me take a step back and breathe and re-evaluate things going on in my mind
This is almost verbatim how I would express how Kendama saved my life.... For me, it’s a healthy escape (for the most part, besides the addiction to buy damas lol). It’s meditation without the stillness. It’s a friend without the disappointment. It’s art, with each dama having something special to love. It’s a connection to nature and the craftsman who turned it. Its the endless quest of pushing limits. It’s the journey..
So I started out just playing Dama for fun and just loved it. However over time I noticed that I started losing the feeling in my legs, torso and eventually hands over the course of a year which lead to me being unable to walk more than a few hundred meters at a time and stop Dama as I couldn't feel the ken in my hands! I found out earlier this year that this was due to rapidly developing multiple sclerosis and the sudden losses in feeling and sensation etc were caused by relapses. Basicly my white blood cells attacking my spinal cord and causing damage to the nerves which carry the signals through my body. I am now a few months into treatment now and have shown a good deal of improvement =D Even started playing Dama again. The whole process has been like starting from scratch and super frustrating to have all my progress wiped and having to start again, but each time I get a trick back it feels like progress. Giving up playing was super sad and just added another thing to the list of stuff I could no longer do such as work,video games and going to the gym and really started to get me down. Starting back at Dama and seeing progress again has really helped me to see improvements in my health and made me feel so happy to regain something I had to give up. My health is still up and down so I can't always practice bug when I can and my body works it is amazing and really helps to feel normal again! Hope this helps
Well, not really a life or death situation in my case, but kendama keeps me sane. I'm a law school student, and in law school, it's no secret that everyday is hard for us law students. I drown in my cases by night, and get shouted at by my professors by day, and not one day goes by without feeling intense dread and anxiety. Kendama is one of the few things that keeps me soldiering on; every day, I make it a point to sesh for a few minutes to clear my mind and keep my zen, before going back into the meat grinder. Kendama has saved my life in this way.
Uggh so agreeable. I am only a high school student, but my school goes significantly faster than most other high schools, as we cover a years worth of work into one semester. Kendama definitely keeps me sane, and always brightens my mood if I need a break from studying and homework.
Glad someone can relate! Man school can be such a grind sometimes lol, but that's what kendama prepares us for, after all.
So two years ago I had like no friends and then I picked up a blue x mint kaizen and people flocked and I met this one kid who is now my right hand man in the unicorn mask on my YouTube channel. At one point, I bought my mom and dad kendamas because I was so stoked on it.
I broke my dominant arm and couldn't juggle or skate (could have skated, but I didn't want to take the risk). Found kendama through an acquaintance the next day and started playing with my no-dominant arm. Boredom defeated! (I switched to my dominant arm after 6 months and have abandoned both juggling and skateboarding, but I'm quite happy anyways with only kendama. It fills all those niches perfectly)
Hell yea bro. I understand that completely because after years of bmx and skating and all the injuries that come along with it I was forced to quit any serious riding and found kendama. I get that since of satisfaction from grindingg out a trick time and time again hour after hour then u finally bang that shit. Bro it's that same feeling I get when riding bmx after landing my first 180 barspin.. That same feeling with dama minus all the aches and pains and shit. That same mental satisfaction of accomplishment .