I remember the first time I met my nephew, Kayo. It was late 1993 and I was only a few years out of high school and my brother brought his new girlfriend over to meet the family. Kayo was two years old and flat-out refused to get out of the car seat so he was just stubbornly sitting there in the car by himself with a grimace on his face. I went out there sure I could convince him to come inside but he just wasn’t having it—so we just sat there and talked. That was our introduction.
My brother ended up marrying his girlfriend, Leann, and adopting Kayo and he quickly became a bonafide member of the Walton family. I was living with my parents at the time so whenever my brother and his family would come to visit Kayo and I would hang out—I’d take him up to the playground, we’d draw together at the kitchen table, and go on walks.
Once I decided to take him with me shopping. Somewhere in the midst of this shopping excursion at the local Kmart he sat on a bicycle they had on display and quickly decided he wanted it. Every time I tried to lift him off of that bike he let out a blood-curdling scream that made us the center of attention. I had zero experience with this and was beside myself. This was my second brush with Kayo’s strong-willed nature.
All this ended in 1995 when I moved to Minnesota but Kayo and I would still spend time together during my frequent visits back to Ohio and my many trips to Florida after my brother moved his family there in the early 2000’s. During one of our family vacations to Miami beach I remember him swimming in the ocean the entire afternoon until he was stung by a swarm of jellyfish.
The years rolled on and Kayo entered his awkward teenage phase. Like we all do during this phase of our lives he had to lose himself for a while before he could discover who it is he really was. During these early years he became an excellent athlete in high school. Sports came easy to him and he rose to the top of any team he joined. About halfway through high school Kayo decided he was going to join the US Marines after graduation. As a sophomore he befriended a local recruiting agent who helped train him for the Marines for nearly two solid years before he enlisted.
His hard work paid off. Kayo graduated at the top of his class in the Marines, with honors. He went on to make a career in the armed forces, becoming a drill instructor for a few years and then he began quickly rising through the ranks. He completed all of the advanced martial arts requirements the service has to offer and became licensed to teach advanced water training classes to special forces, as well as a sharp-shooter. He now has almost a solid two decades of service with the Marines and raising his own family throughout it all. Despite all his accomplishments Kayo has remained extremely humble, he'd actually be mortified if he knew I was writing this but it's the only way I can think of to help him achieve his goal, which I'll explain more about below.
Now Kayo is applying his excellent work ethic and passion towards attempting difficult things to becoming an ultra-runner. For anyone who isn’t aware of what this is, ultra-running is a class of athletes who run further than a traditional marathon, which is 26.2 miles. He’s created a YouTube channel that will chronicle his journey leading up to his first 100 mile race which he’ll be running in 2026.
Building a YouTube channel is a very tough undertaking. I’d really appreciate it if you all like and subscribe to his channel and help show him some support. He’s trying hard to build his channel now and grow it to the point where it becomes a second income stream to help finance his ultra-running journey, which isn’t cheap.
Kayo is an extraordinary human by any measure and his channel is very motivational to those of us who need to be reminded that we should never stop trying to push past our perceived limits. It's so important to keep trying hard things. Who knows, he might even motivate his 54 year old uncle to start running again!
To say I'm a pround uncle is an understatement. This young man has accomplished some pretty amazing and impressive things in his life, yet somehow I know he’s only just begun to reach his ultimate potential.
All for now. Thanks so much for reading.
Hello dear friend.
This story touched me because I couldn't have children, and my nephews have filled part of the void left by not having children.
I have two nephews who have fought very hard to achieve their dreams. One has already achieved them, and the other is on his way, and although he has had some setbacks, he continues to strive for them.
Kayo is an example of overcoming adversity, and I'm glad he had you in his life.
Thank you for sharing. Have a wonderful day. Best wishes.
Nieces and nephews are a blessing in that regard. I have no biological children of my own either.
I'm happy to hear your nephews are achieving their dreams and goals. It makes you proud to see them succeed!
Thank you, my friend, and I hope you're having a wonderful week!
Beautiful story :)
Subscribed and liked :)
Much appreciated!
OK proud uncle, he is lucky to have you. He sounds like a dynamo.
Yes, I did subscribe. It's not the sort of stuff I consume, but it certainly is energetic. I applaud his ambition and drive. I did also like some of his videos. I will try and remember to check in and like more videos.
We've got to support family, don't we?
Thank you! Yes, he certainly is a dynamo, very competitive. I appreciate you subscribing. He's learning as he goes, building his channel. I hope he shares more of his backstory along the way because it's truly remarkable.
Yes, we do! I try to help people when I can because I know how tough it is trying to establish yourself in pretty much any creative endeavor.
Very nice story, subscribed he is up to 44 subscribers now :)
The garage gym video is cool, that looks like a very versatile pro grade gym cage.
Thank you! I really appreciate it. I'm jealous of his set-up. I plan on getting a pull-up/dip bar but have to make room for it after our home renovations. They say that piece of equipment is particularly helpful for those of us in middle age.
Pull-up/dip station doesn't take much space, I have one in my garage and it is not like his huge pro gym cage. Mine looks something like this: https://www.amazon.com/ZENOVA-Exercise-Multi-Function-Strength-Equipment/dp/B08VJ3WGH2/
BTW, I see that you are voting for luke stokes as a witness who has been missing all of his blocks for the last four years! I would really appreciate that vote for my witness (#59) :)
The one I'm looking at is a simple standalone one. I was considering the kind that attaches to a door frame but I've seen too many Fail Army videos of those not working out well. : ) The area I plan on using it in though is our staging area during the remodel so I'll have to wait for all that stuff to be cleared out. You definitely have my vote. I was going through and trying to remove my votes from inactive witnesses the other day but it wasn't working. I'll try again today.
Thank you!
Yes I had the door frame one it is much worse than the one I have now...
You’re welcome! What front-end do you use to vote for witnesses? PeakD is glitching horribly for me.
I usually use PeakD as well, but you can also try: https://primersion.com/witnesses
There on top you can enter your username and it will show you all the witnesses you are voting for and you should be able to vote and un-vote from there...
I appreciate your nephew's humility even after achieving so much.
I do too! So many people would be full of themselves after accomplishing so much.
A proud and cool uncle! What a sweet write-up, Eric. There's love here in every word. Subscribed:) Best of luck to Kayo.
Thank you my friend! It was great to get to visit with him this past summer and reconnect. He's living in southern California so I hadn't seen him since 2011 and had never met any of his daughters.
Ah wow that is indeed a long time apart, but family bonds remain, as this post clearly proves :)
Already subscribed. I relate so much to your words that it could easily be me talking about my nephews. Uncles who don't have children are the most indulgent and proud of their nephews. Wishing Kayo good luck. Hugs 🫂
Much appreciated Nancy! It's been difficult for us because we're scattered all over the country but we try our best to stay connected. He's talking about possibly moving back to Ohio when he retires from the Marines—I think he just has four years left. Thanks and cheers to a wonderful week!
Wow, Kayo’s journey is really inspiring! It’s amazing to see how hard work and determination have taken him from a strong-willed kid to a Marine and ultra-runner. I’ll definitely check out his YouTube channel to follow his journey.
Thank you!
It’s amazing to see how Kayo grew from a strong willed kid into such a disciplined and inspiring young man. His dedication as a Marine and now as an ultra runner really shows how far perseverance can take someone. Wishing him all the best for his 100 mile race , he truly deserves all the support.
Thank you!
It's a very interesting story and a long story that you have told us in a post and it is true that many things and time are passing by and changing quickly but all of us have to do is stay connected with our families and support each other so that life can be easier.
Staying connected has been challenging since he lives on the West coast but we've managed!
Wow, that is quite impressive. I got to spend the weekend down in Columbus with my nieces and our great niece. It is so fun watching our niece become an aunt herself and grow so attached to the little one like we used to be with them.
Yes, the cycle of life continues! It is nice being on this side of things. I look at him now and I still see glimpses of that boy I knew back in Ohio.
I really liked your personal and heartfelt message. Obviously, your nephew is one of those people who is worth supporting. I will join the suggested channel to contribute to its expansion. Best regards, @ericvancewalton.
Thank you! I appreciate you subscribing to his channel!
you might want to check your witness votes , i saw your name at a witness that is no longer active ;)
Hmm, thanks for that heads-up. I'll give that a look today.
it would be nice if front ends came up with a reminder notification for that :)
I agree!
#hive #posh