I’m sharing this story because my 8-year old step-son watched some of his favorite youtubers playing Pokemon Go and wanted to play with his friends who were already playing and getting ahead (oh-no!). My amazing wife, who always has fun activities planned, decided he could play but that we would all play - go to the park and walk the lake/take the dogs on walks around the neighborhood.
I graduated from Columbine High School in 1999. The school is generally well known for the shooting that occurred there in 1999 and there is a Memorial for the victims in Clement Park next to the school. The park is one of the more popular Pokemon Go locations for our area. It has a number of pokestops, gyms, and a nice 1.4 mile walk around a lake (I know, it’s Colorado, lakes aren’t really our thing but the lake does have a Slowpoke nest). Turns out, there are 2 pokestops at the Columbine Memorial. I had yet to visit the memorial, couldn’t bring myself to do it. I always get out my Columbine stuff on the anniversary every year, but for some reason the Memorial seemed like too much for me. As we walked the park for our stops, we ended up at the Memorial, the kiddo swiped his stops and I told my wife I haven’t actually been there yet. She was great about it and we took a half hour, lightly talked about what the memorial was with the kiddo, read all the engravings (which were beautiful), and took a moment in the Ring of Remembrance and read the personal reflections for those who were lost. It was a tough day but I’m glad I got to go there with my family and experience it during an activity we all enjoy.
My wife and I discussed the idea of having pokestops at places like Memorials. I shared a picture of a quote from the wall and it really captured what the moment was for me. I was taking a moment to remember those lost and that day and I watched as parents and teenagers were walking around reading everything and the little kids were laughing and playing. I told my wife that I thought the pokestops there were great, because people were there who probably would’ve never gone there otherwise. They were helping to remember even if they didn’t know it. They’re there and now they know what Columbine is really about – Community. It’s about the people who come together, talk, laugh, share, help, and bond together.
I keep to myself generally, but reading that quote made me decide that being a better person would be to engage my community more and let them know that it’s great they’re here. I decided that when I go out to play Pokemon Go and I see a fellow trainer, always say hello and make a point to talk about the game and about them if they want. Find out where they’re from and their families and why they like the game. Sure, there are people with headphones doing their thing and that’s great. But everyone I’ve talked to so far has been open and kind. Granted, the weekend was mostly bitching about the servers being down but hey, I got to meet new people and made some new friends who are planning on being weekend regulars at the park. I didn’t see people with heads simply buried in their phones, sure that was a small part of it, but people were engaging other people.
It’s a beautiful thing to be there with our neighbors. Whether they’re playing softball/baseball, having a picnic or birthday party, playing in the fountains or playgrounds, exercising, or playing Pokemon Go.