Pokemon Go Is Bringing Back the Magic Depression Took Away From Me
The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of negative emotions. For the first time in months, I fell into a depressed funk that has chased away a lot of my work buddies. The sense of loneliness drained my desires to continue to be a vacation planner in “The Happiest Place on Earth.” I even mentioned to my manager wanting to find a way out somehow, but with nowhere in my field to turn to, I was told to make the most of it. Even though to me, the magic was gone.
Until, Pokemon Go came around. The first day of its release had the break room in a tizzy. Cast members from different departments near my area were talking about what they caught and offered tips to one another on how to play the game. Over the last few days, the friends who stopped talking to me and a few of the parking guys I only saw in passing became my break buddies. All because of a PokeStop (in all places, the building that houses Ellen’s Energy Adventure.)
Whenever we stumble across each other on our down time, the words, “Wanna go for a PokeStop run?” seem to chase the negativity I have felt the last few days away. When I’m sad, our small group encourages me to go out and play. Despite the walk to the Ellen ride being only a five-minute hike past our backstage bus stop, the small hike makes all the difference. Although the view for the stop is just a back exit door with some dumpsters nearby, it has become a source of peace and contentment among friends and strangers alike.
We managed to all join the same team (Go Mystic) and have cheered each other on when we manage to take over our closest gym, near the Epcot Dedication plaque. Needless to say, the game has brought me out of my shell and back into being a bit more social. Although it isn’t a cure all for the pain I have felt the last few weeks, nor has it healed all the friendships lost, it certainly has helped me take that five minutes and collect myself before I leave for my next ticket booth and have that bit of positivity I need to succeed.
Amazing how something as silly as a game can bring a whole group of cast members together. This couldn’t have come at a better time.
Picture courtesy PokemonGo Facebook page.
Mandy is a writer, disability activist, and former paraprofessional, defying the odds as a woman with severe visual impairments. She’s originally from Philadelphia and a graduate of Johnson and Wales University. Mandy has been an active supporter of the self advocacy community and has spent much of her life working and volunteering with special needs adults and children. She currently resides in Orlando, Florida where she currently works as a parade escort and vacation planner Follow Mandy’s journey from caregiver to cast member and beyond on Legally Blind Bagged
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