It's no secret that I love monsters and creatures, especially when they're in a companion role. When I was a teenager, the Pokemon franchise grabbed hold of me.
It never let go.
We all have our "time waster" activities. In those quite moments, between chores or while waiting in line, we find some way of both entertaining ourselves and decompressing. Some play mindless phone games while others people watch, small talk, or browse social media. But we all fill that idle time with something.
How I've used this filler time has given me guilt in the past. As a creative, I have unhelpful musings along the lines of, "Wow, if I didn't play that video game, I could have sketched a book scene/filled a plot hole/started editing a raw manuscript." Unhelpful.
For years, I shook my head at my younger self for getting sucked into fun activities, thinking the time could have been better spent elsewhere. But even learning about and drawing Pokemon creatures can open the door to unique conversations.
And opportunities.
At the charity where I volunteer twice a week, there is one special needs man who loves Pokemon. I'm the only person there who can relate to this part of him. Whenever I see him, I ask how his games are going, and it makes him so happy. And working in the back of the charity thrift store, I witness the influx of donations before they go out for sale.
Sometimes, we get batches of Pokemon cards.
Now, when I say I got hooked on the Pokemon franchise when I was a teen, I mean Nintendo is where I spent a huge chunk of my fun money. I didn't buy makeup, designer clothes, or go to hair or nail salons, but I dropped some serious savings on video games, collectible cards, and toys. But nothing was wasted.
I have made many good friends through Pokemon fan groups over the years. The creatures boosted my creativity and inspired art, conversations, characters, and unique spins that led to my own creatures. The creature up top is Blue, a shiny (super rare color variation) creature I caught in one of the games over ten years ago.
Though Blue shifted from his Pokemon inspiration, that's where he started. The original creature design looks more like some kind of weird baboon dog. Now, Blue is a loyal wolf character in a novel series. I may never have written that series without him and the friend I connected with through Pokemon.
But back to the cards and the thrift store.
I routinely struggle with guilt over time management. Because I'm writing and working freelance, I have more free time than people working regular jobs. I use that time to volunteer as well as work on my own projects. But I also still game more than I volunteer. While I was sorting clothes at the charity thrift store, I got into a conversation about a batch of donated Pokemon cards from a couple weeks earlier.
In that batch, I found a card worth over $500. One. Card. They would have sold the entire bag for $15.
As I searched through the rest of the 700 cards or so, I pulled out two dozen other cards I recognized from the time I used to collect and sell them on ebay. I took them to the manager and told him to sell them individually in the glass case so they wouldn't be stolen. He looked at me a little funny but did as I asked.
And during that conversation 2 weeks later, where I secretly lamented all my useless Pokemon knowledge and wasted hours, the manager came and thanked me (although with surprise on his face) for setting those rare cards aside.
They sold the one super rare card for $150. At a charity thrift store. Where struggling families come to get free clothes and groceries from the attached food pantry. That $150 and the other card profits went to support those relief efforts.
Nothing is wasted.
I needed this reminder. Maybe we all do. It's okay to unwind and enjoy free time. I credit God for opening opportunities for me to use my "useless" knowledge, but it could apply anywhere. All of us have opportunities to connect through unique common ground and help our fellow humans. That day, I was blessed enough to see the direct result.
Keep on smilin'!
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