Disney. If you were aware of our recent trip to Disney, you knew
this was coming, didn’t you? I can’t
promise anything particularly profound—let’s just see where this goes.
I’ll admit it. I was
not looking forward to this trip. I’d
much rather go to my beloved Seattle (Seattle) or the ocean. Don’t get me wrong. As a kid, Disneyland was one of my favorite
places on the planet. For part of my
childhood we lived within a 30 minute drive of Disneyland. It was simpler going to Disney then, more spontaneous. My parents would purchase ticket books when
we arrived at the gates, and we rode rides until we were out of tickets. Does anyone remember those ticket books—A through
E tickets? The E tickets were for the
more popular rides, and there were fewer E tickets in the book. I researched and discovered that the “E
ticket” system was abandoned in 1982.
When we migrated to the East Coast, my parents took us to Disneyworld a
couple of years after Epcot opened. Much
larger than Disneyland, Disneyworld was slightly overwhelming but still
manageable.
Jump forward to Spring 2015 when we started making our own
Disney plans. I bought guides and did
online research. It’s what I love to do—organize
things—but even I found the whole process overwhelming and discouraging. I’m too late to get reservations for dining
in August?! It’s April!!!! It quickly became clear to me that we weren’t
going to be very spontaneous. I marked
my calendar to make sure I got FastPasses for the rides we wanted to ride with
really long lines. I planned out each
and every day. I was exhausted by the
process. How is this fun? How is this
magical?! Do we HAVE to go?!? This is NOT the Disney of my childhood. Call me Uncle Scrooge.
The first evening we were in Orlando, we headed to Downtown
Disney and drove under a sign that said, “Walt Disney World. Where Dreams Come
True.” I teared up. What is happening to me?!?! They have got to
be pumping something into the air here. The following day, when we stepped onto
Main Street at Magic Kingdom, I teared up again. Main Street is the same Main Street of my
childhood. Time stands still there. We
rode our first ride, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin (yes, we had a Fast
Pass). Do you know how many times we watched
Toy Story, day after day, when the boys were little? It was fun to watch them delight in Buzz
Lightyear again.
In the Hall of Presidents, I was moved by seeing all 43
presidents together on stage, acknowledging how they are all connected. I found myself wishing for more civil
discourse outside of Magic Kingdom’s Liberty Square.
And you know me, I’m ALWAYS quietly observing those around
me. Disney is a diverse place, both cast
members (employees) and guests. I found
myself wanting to hear their stories. I
tried to make eye contact with a woman in a burka. Tell me your story (Tell me your story).
Florida in August. It was about a
billion degrees with a billion percent humidity. I thought I would pass out in my tank top,
shorts and sandals. And this woman was
covered from head-to-toe in black with only her eyes exposed (her husband
comfortable in his short sleeves and shorts).
I’m not really sure what I was trying to say to her with the eye
contact. Maybe, “I see you. I acknowledge you. You’ve got to be miserably hot. Go in peace.”
I don’t know.
I found myself uncomfortable at Epcot in a presentation at
American Adventure. It was an animatronic
presentation of the history of the United States. The animatronics were amazing. Its intent was
to highlight the “land of opportunity for everyone” and how great the American
spirit is. True. Sort of.
The presentation felt sort of boastful, not as humble as the Hall of
Presidents. I know that’s not what Disney
intended, but it made me uncomfortable. We
still have a deep divide between the “have” and “have nots”. Opportunity still isn’t equal for everyone. Disney is certainly not an affordable vacation
for everyone. I acknowledge that I am a “have,” an enlightened “have,” but a “have,”
nonetheless. No amount of Disney magic
is going to change that. I was acutely
aware that every time I paid $2.75 for a bottle of water that there are people
who are trying to feed themselves on $4.00 a day. I’d like to say I came up with a profound
solution to this problem. I did
not. I’ll take suggestions. One thing I love about Disney is that it will
never be finished. And we won’t
either. There will always be work to do.
The “magic” for me happened at night. The play of lights against the dark sky. The music.
I really can’t even put it into words.
The light shows, fireworks and music, are, well, magical. And the cast members, they are so kind to
everyone. What if we all treated each
other with that same kindness out in the real world? There is just something
about Disney that you have to experience to understand. I get that now. Will we go back? I don’t know.
But Disney does have a marathon…
So, we enjoyed a magical week at Walt Disney World. Although, I will bet that my kids don’t think
there was anything magical about me making them wait 90 minutes in line for the
Peter Pan ride, a childhood favorite of mine.
We insulated ourselves from the real world for a bit. It was a nice respite. We are back now. And ISIS is still recruiting, Donald Trump is
still incredibly LOUD and a friend of mine still needs a new liver. #nodisneymagichere. Or is there?
Could we possibly be just a little kinder to one another? Could dream a dream as big as Walt Disney’s
and make it happen in our little corner of the world? Could we feed people and provide them with
more opportunity on our corner of Main Street?
