I am suffering until Easter lol.

I've been collecting since the 90s and it's gone from something I got as a surprise from my favorite uncle to a really big hobby in my life. I love opening packs, love building less than legal decks and dueling it out with my friends over shots instead of prize cards, love everything about it.

But cards have been really hard to get. Gamestop is the only place that can be counted on to have anything if you aren't there right when it's out. I got absolutely nothing from Black Bolt and White Flare in English and my mom had to send my bestie who has grandparents in Japan money to surprise me with cards from that set. So I was getting kind of depressed with the hobby.

I work at a church, and everyone is giving up stuff for Lent. I'm not religious but my mom is and I figured why not give up opening anything new for Lent. Reset, get my collection in order, take a break from the hype and the chases and everything.

So no Pokémon cards until Easter for me. My mom and two besties have promised they'll do everything possible to score product for my Easter basket, which yes, included more requests to grandparents in Japan and my mom got a Sam's + membership and overcame her aversion to online shopping to score for me. And my computer programmer bestie is watching the PC for me so I can take a break.

So I've just been sorting my bulk, working with some new binders my mom got me, and getting my collection in order. And I'll be honest. I REALLY WANT TO RIP SOMETHING. Lol. But I've got a huge Easter stash I'm not touching and even though it's tempting I've been good.

And I think it was a good decision. Because as I go back through my collection looking for pieces for my special binders I'm rediscovering a lot of the original joy in my old cards. Like my X and Y Japanese cards that Adrien brought me as my first ever Japanese boxes. And all the weird promos I picked up as a kid. Even the Topps and Burger King cards I kept safe in special binders. I'm finding cards I didn't remember having and it's so exciting when I do. Even though I didn't pull them fresh now, it's great opening a binder and finding pretty or cute or cool cards that got a bit overlooked when I was opening tons of packs.

So, what I'm saying is, don't be afraid to take a break. I know stuff is coming out at lightspeed right now and it's get it before it's gone, but you don't have to open it all right away. You don't have to rip until you get that one chase. It's okay to buy a chase, and then just rip when you feel ready to appreciate the cards themselves. If you're looking at a pile of wrappers and just seeing a waste of money, step back, spend some time going through your collection, and realize you never had all the chases from those sets either but you still had a collection you really loved and that made you happy.

I'm glad I took a break and I know I'm not going to just tear through that Easter pile and be disappointed when I don't see a Sunbreon or a Charizard. We all need resets. Especially those of us who can't be at drops because we have jobs or family or other obligations and we feel like we're missing out. It's okay to not get everything so long as you do get something you'll treasure in your collection. Even if your collection is small or inexpensive, it should be something that brings you joy. And if it doesn't currently, chasing the wave will only make it worse. There's no magic fix, just space and time.

And to my mom and my besties Alan and Adrien, thank you for helping me with this. My mom has sorted probably around 20000 bulk cards, a lot of which were made into Pokémon day packs for kids. Adrien's grandparents have been amazing in Japan scoring me boxes of sets I missed in the US. And Alan swears he hasn't hacked anything but he's been on point with drop dates lol. So remember to thank your family and friends who help you.