That Time I Was Obsessed With Fidget Spinners

Full disclosure: I originally wanted to use the word “addicted” in the title of this post to describe my love for fidget spinners. And then Janelle, always the one to keep me honest, reminded me that saying I was addicted might just be a bit of an exaggeration, and I could see she had a point. A very good point, actually, so obsessed it is!

But here’s the thing: I went through a phase this summer where I actually did tiptoe on the border between obsessed and addiction. I mean, I was thisclose to crossing that metaphorical line, so I suppose it very nearly was an addiction. I’m grateful to have stayed on the obsessed side, but those blasted fidget spinners almost proved far stronger than any willpower I could muster.

Maybe I’m getting ahead of myself, though. How did this obsession even start, you’re probably wondering? As with most things in my life, I blame my overly developed sense of curiosity. That curiosity always seems to get me into trouble, doesn’t it? That, and my big mouth, but we’ll just focus on the curiosity part for now.

Toward the end of the school year, my mom would come home from work and bemoan the existence of these tiny whirling toys. Fidget spinners, she called them. Apparently, they were all the rage with today’s young people — probably what slap bracelets were to my generation. She’d tell me how kids would sit in class and spin, spin, spin those things into oblivion, usually when the teacher was talking or they were supposed to be doing something other than spinning their fidget spinners.

Needless to say, I was intrigued. Very intrigued, indeed! I had never heard of these gadgets before, and I was having trouble imagining how they could be so enthralling. You just hold a toy and spin it? What’s so exciting and addicting about that?

Well, I found out the answer to those questions a couple weeks later. One afternoon, my mom comes home, breezing through the door as usual, and presents me with a treasure.

My very own FIDGET SPINNER.

Oh, wow, the thing was a piece of beauty. A true work of art. It was blue, but not just any old shade of blue — it was a deep blue, the kind that instantly soothes you.

And, all it took was one spin and I was hooked. Honestly, I was pretty surprised just how comforting that fidget spinner became. It would calm me down when I’d get a bit wound up (you know me…) and prove to be a nice distraction during the day. I’d keep it by my computer, and I found myself picking it up while I was in the middle of writing. Oddly enough, it actually helped get those creative juices flowing. Maybe all that mindless spinning jump started my own mind?

In the end, my obsession got so bad that I bought three more fidget spinners — on the same day! I just couldn’t help myself, apparently! My hands just seemed to naturally gravitate toward them. Check out two of my favorites below — a blue (again!) metallic one, which is all kinds of shiny and smooth, and a glow-in-the-dark one! Yes, it actually does glow in the dark, in case you were wondering.

So where am I now in my obsession? Well, I still love them, but perhaps the novelty has worn off a bit. My mom reported that her students are over them, but I plan on keeping mine close by!! After all, you never know when you’ll need a little pick-me-up!!