Last year I participated in the Gish Scavenger Hunt with my daughter, Danielle. I posted about it in Trying New Things. It’s that time of year again. I joined a team with Danielle and she researched the items for us to do. One of my tasks was to create a poem about the character, Pikachu. My other two were to make a garbage portrait out of my non-recyclable trash and try something new.
In a mother, daughter, and granddaughter effort Danielle dressed up as a monster (like the monster under the bed) and my oldest granddaughter read to her while I took pictures. 
To continue our work we next made a dress out of water balloons for my granddaughter and then she had to accept a wedding proposal of a water balloon instead of a ring. My grandson unwillingly stepped in as the bearer of the water balloon–as long as I promised not to share those photographs. Then the day ended with a water balloon fight out front.
We always manage to have fun doing this together, but an essential factor is the charity/donations component. Yes, there are prize winners but we don’t participate with that in mind.
Here’s what I came up with this year:
A SMILE
The sweet-voiced character brings back old smiles.
His presence is high on the movie screen or TV
I’m not alone in this memory. I’m sitting with my young son
I ask questions, and he eagerly educates me
We collect cards from kids’ meals or stores
Birthdays are brightly themed…
Christmas contains the yellow cartoon…
And Easter baskets have red and white balls.
When I clean out a drawer and find a card tucked away
When I see the newer interactive Pokemon game
When the show comes on TV or I run across an old DVD
I remember that youthful boy and hearing, “Pika Pika.”
Together in memories, we watch Pikachu and Ash
That moment in the past brings a smile to the now.
I’m not gifted artistically but here’s my attempt at a self-portrait:
To try something new I read one of my poems…really fast:
Direct from the website:
“GISH is on a mission to wake up the world and change it for the weirder and better— and Gishers make it happen.”
I’m all for embracing that inner child whether from reading a book or being a “Gisher”! D. L. Finn
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