I am sitting in a delegate session while I am writing this, and have been struck by the most curious of thoughts: Where is Waldo?

No, really.

I am a member of North Dakota Farm Bureau. I enjoy sitting through the delegate session, watching public policy take shape. But it reminds me a lot of those books I used to look through when I was younger.

I sit and listen and watch, trying to find the voices of reason, the voices of passion, the use of common sense. It’s an amazing process to witness, and an exciting process to participate in. Yet you look around the room, and you see all the characters that it takes to make good policy…which is where Waldo comes into play.

A room of brilliant minds, passionate voices and forward-thinking people.

After being actively involved in this organization for more than a decade, I know most of the characters that drive policy. And looking around the room, it’s like looking at a page in a “Where’s Waldo” book. Find the man with the purple tie and a knack for making the room groan when he stands up. Find the woman that sits as an alternate, yet speaks on issues that touch her heart, like school lunch. Find the guys that may have stayed out a little late last night.

Yes, it’s an amazing cast of characters. And as I sit here, in the back of the room, I know how lucky I am to be able to be part of this process. Maybe it’s the political-science geek in me, but this is the stuff that dreams are made of…and our public policy as a state and national organization.

So Where is Waldo? He’s right in front of me.