It’s not news that the world is going to shit. I think we can all pretty much agree on that. It seems every night I am watching the latest mass killings, shootings, and riots on the news. One day it’s Egypt. Another it’s Brussels. Next it’s Orlando. Then it’s Nice. The bad news seems to never stop while the death toll does the exact opposite. People won’t (notice how I didn’t say can’t) learn to agree to disagree on a religion so they kill innocent souls. People won’t agree to disagree on sexuality, and the environment, and gun rights, and pretty much everything else so the only obvious (sarcasm at its best, folks) way to fix these issues is to start shooting, bombing, harassing, and running over people with delivery trucks. I absolutely hate how death, terror, and complete disrespect for others are becoming the norm in the society that I am living in.

It’s also not news, if you have read any of my other articles, that I have anxiety. And let me tell you, these world issues have definitely been doing a toll on me. I’ve had nightmares of people killing my mother, being abducted from my work while using the restroom, being mistaken as someone else and being killed for it, and of general genocide. I’ve woken up in the middle of the night with tears running down my cheeks because I had been crying in my sleep. And all of these are just examples that happened in one week.

A few days ago, my boyfriend, Jared, downloaded Pokémon Go and begged me to get it so we could go exploring together. I eventually did because he would only drive me to my optometrist appointment if I got the game. It’s good that I gave in and downloaded it, however, because I ended up passing out during my appointment and needed him to drive me home. It’s a funny story. Maybe I’ll write about it some time. Anyways, back to my actual article. I got Pokémon Go and we started walking around town. We’re from a very, very small rural town in Ohio so we decided to walk the surrounding bigger towns. We even ventured into Warren, a town you wouldn’t usually want to be walking aimlessly around, to find that huge groups of people of every age were walking around catching Pokémon. Fathers, mothers, toddlers, teens, middle schoolers, grandparents, and dogs on leashes were all milling around the green area in front of the court house with their noses in their phones hunting for Pokémon. I remarked that they looked like zombies from afar, but once I got closer to the action, I noticed that they were all actually talking to one another as they were hunting. I hadn't seen this much camaraderie in a very, very long time.

I even got to visit some memorials and gardens that I didn’t know existed despite having lived 15 minutes away for the past 20 years. I would post pictures of my adventures here, but, y'know, I can't figure out how to make the pictures stop posting sideways. I'll put them on my Facebook page if you all want to check them out.

There are around ten pokestops and a few gyms (places where you can battle other Pokemon) in that area, making it the perfect place for all of us to gather in search of Pokémon. Jared and I walked around to all of the different stops to collect eggs, pokeballs, incense, and other items. We were actually startled a few times by other Pokémon trainers going out of their way to tell us where good Pokémon were hiding at that moment. I heard nothing but nice things from people that day, which was surprising. Was it possible that all of these people were getting along, despite age, race, and political differences? Apparently it’s possible, folks!

And do you want to know something else? The night after Jared and I went Pokémon hunting was the first night in weeks that I didn't have a nightmare. Instead of dreaming of death and violence, I dreamed of going on more adventures. I had my first good night of sleep in a very long time.

I'm not saying that Pokémon Go is the sole reason for my newfound peace, but I am positive that it simply showed me that there is still humanity and good people in this world. I had seriously begun to lose hope. Who would have thought that a "silly," "childish" game could do so much good? I sure didn't, that's for sure. If you haven't tried the game, I would suggest downloading it. It's great fun and a wonderful way to get out and about to meet new people. Maybe it could even help you like it has helped me, even if you don't think you need helped.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I gotta go catch 'em all.