A lot of people ask us why we love going to the Disney Parks so much, so I put together the above video to show you a glimpse of the magic we experience at the Parks.
If I’m being entirely honest with you, the Disney Parks, well the whole Disney experience means something special to me. I grew up watching The Wonderful World of Disney and being absolutely captivated by the man known as Walter E. Disney. A man who, at least to me, actually believed in himself and his dreams. When I watched re-runs of specials featuring Walt Disney, I saw a man who believed in magic and believed that adults really were just children in grown up bodies. The overall message I learned from Disney was you can be a responsible adult and maintain the child within. Keep the creativity, the imagination, the dreams, the laughter, and keep moving forward.
The older I became the more I realized how easy it was to let the world shatter your dreams. It amazes me how much our culture frowns on artists and discourages people from following their dreams for the sake of some false hope of stability. People get stuck in careers they absolutely hate because it pays the bills or are “stable”; myself included. Somewhere in the last 10 years I lost myself. I lost some of that spirit that kept me feeling alive. Painting, drawing, creating, baking, decorating, cooking, laughing. Somewhere, I allowed myself to give up on my dreams and my passions. I convinced myself that all of those things were just hobbies or were careers that other people could make it but not me. I allowed myself to be convinced that I would fail if I tried something new or that success in those areas were meant for other people and not for me. But yet, every time I have gone to a Disney park or watched a Disney film, I regain a sense of who I am. There’s something about being able to be a kid again, to get excited over fireworks shows, getting a hug from Mickey Mouse (even if it is a person in costume) that makes me realize that there was a man before me who never gave up on his dreams, no matter how many times he failed, or how many people tried to take it from him. He kept moving forward, he dreamed bigger and worked harder. He truly was an inspirational person.
I recently watched the PBS special on Walt, and I can honestly say the only thing that changed after watching the special was that Walt Disney became more of a real person, with issues, conflict, and hardships. It made it even easier to relate to the Man behind the Mouse. I felt a strong connection when PBS touched on Walt and Lillian’s experience trying for a family. It was the only part of that entire documentary that made me cry. That craving for a family is strong and when you get the word that you are expecting and it is ripped from you, it is shattering and heartbreaking. I related with Walt’s retreat and return and his family’s sense of strength after tragedy. It’s a bond that’s tough to break when made.
Anyways, in the last few months, I feel like I have regained some ounce of the direction I want to go in and the Disney Parks played a role in pushing me towards following my dreams (that’s not to discount the major role Chris had in that push, but I’ll leave that for another post).
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