“Dad, we know what we need to do.”

I nodded solemnly in agreement.  After perusing her Pokemon card collection, a glaring vacancy had been identified.  And as we resolutely marched into the Trading Card Expo, our mission was clear.  Operation Wooper was in full effect!

Wooper is a hilarious Pokemon that looks like an axolotl, and apparently there is some local guy who really likes both Pokemon and strange smiling salamanders.   And this guy buys all the Woopers at these card shows, making Woopers an Endangered Species in our area.  So as we bravely navigated the labyrinth of tie-dye shirts, misspelled tattoos, and the peculiar aroma of fetid sweat-tinged funk mixed with tater tots, we knew the odds were not in our favor.

As we journeyed from exhibit to exhibit, we discovered countless collectibles and pretty much every version of every Pokemon under the sun…but no Wooper.  Hope began to wane, and our optimism was fading fast.  Furthermore, in true Bumbling Sidekick fashion, I thought I had completed our quest by finding a Paldean Wooper, but apparently that’s a completely different species.  I was very nearly disowned by Pokemon Master Mia after that embarrassing faux pas.  Things weren’t looking good.

Then, at one of the last tables, when all hope seemed to be lost, we found one!  And after spending 32 bucks for a cardboard shiny salamander, we jubilantly recounted our victorious quest on the way back home.  Operation Wooper had been a success!

But the beauty of Operation Wooper wasn’t actually acquiring the axolotl.  It was the adventure…it was the experience…it was the journey…it was the conquest…and it was that we did it together!

Don’t get so focused on the end goal that you miss out on the journey itself.  The diploma, award, or Wooper that you’re seeking is probably worth about $32, give or take. But the moments that you spend with the ones you love are priceless, and the process itself is unquantifiably precious😊