Yoyu

The first time I heard the word was when six year old Lynette was struggling with her violin piece and her teacher, Miss Yamaguchi, explained, “There is a Japanese word, ‘yoyu’. We use the word often. It means to have extra preparation. It means that I have more money than I need when I go shopping for something. It means I allow more time than necessary.”

“Yoyu” also has the implication of calmness one feels when they are extra prepared. It is that space between “Get Ready” and “Go” – the space “Get set” or “Be ready” or “feel confident”. For instance, I might say, “He/she lacks yoyu.” when I see someone leading a frazzled existence. I might tell our daughters to consider scheduling their lives with a little more yoyu. Therefore, I would use the word more for a lifestyle suggestion. It’s a big picture word.

Yoyu is not found in the American dictionary. I put forth that we adopt this word in our lives. I want our daughters, Lynette and Kelly, to teach this to Joey, Avery, Zachary and Kirin. It’s part of our heritage I want to pass on.

I’m pleased that our daughter Kelly is at least considering Yoyu – click on the blue link and go to her website link.