Otto the baby otter waited excitedly for his surprise. His Papa and Mama were gifting him something special today. Papa said “Are you ready Otto? This shell was given to me by my father and now I want to gift it to you.” Otto’s father placed something round and smooth on his paws. It was a sand dollar. “I thought this was going to be something good but it's just a dull sand dollar,” complained Otto. “That’s not a nice thing to say Otto,” scolded his Mama.  

Otto was disappointed, “I don't want this boring shell,” he whispered as he threw the shell away and swam away. “I'm going to find a better shell.” Otto was on the hunt. He wanted the biggest shiniest shell he could find. So off he went in search of a better shell, he picked up a spiral shell, “This shell is nice, but I want one that's bigger.”  

He swam a bit more and found a clam shell, “This shell is bigger, but I want one that’s shinier.” He continued swimming farther and farther searching for a better shell. All the shells were not quite right. Otto could not find a shell that fit all his standards.  

After searching for a long time Otto suddenly noticed he was alone. He stood on a rock to get a better view. He looked to the right, and he looked to the left but there was nothing but the wide-open sea. Otto was lost. Otto does not know where to go or what to do. He wondered how he had gotten so separated from his parents?  

Otto was starting to get worried when suddenly he heard a voice, “You’re an awful long way from home aren't ya?” asked an yellow fish. “I was searching for a better shell, but I wandered off too far,” said Otto. “What’s wrong with the shell you have?” asked the fish, he continued, “Seems to me that you spent too much time searching for more and more that you ended up with less than what you started off with.”