I know this might seem super cliché but bare with me.
I'm speculating that most people have a "happy place" that they go to when they're feeling upset, alone, depressed or angry and etc. My place is and was and always will be Disney. I grew up in a family of boys besides my mom, so that fact that I didn't have to share my happy place with anyone was a bonus.
My mom taught me to love Disney, not just the values that Disney teaches but the hope that Disney provides for those visiting the theme parks or just watching the movies. Just by watching Disney movies or going into the parks relieves me of so much stress and anxiety thats its the most rewarding thing I've ever been blessed with in my life.
Why I admire Disney so much is because no matter what happens there is always someone who loves you and things always work out in the end. Whether you're battling a giant octopus sea witch or fighting off the Mistress of All Evil as she turns herself into a dragon. It's the hope that these characters bring to life and it's all through the story telling done by the creators. Walt Disney was a master story teller and he had dreams that make all other dreams come true to those who are witnessing magic before their eyes.
I know some of you would say, "magics not real, it's all illusion", and I would agree, but when I say I believe in the magic of Disney I believe in the stories being brought to life. This winter I watched Elsa change the castle over to her ice castle this year and after the show was done and the castle was lit up with thousands of lights made to look like ice, I was in tears. When you're a kid and you see your favorite princess or you see Darth Vader or Mickey Mouse and your parents start crying? It's cause your parents were watching your dreams come true whether you knew what was happening or not. I met Belle who is my favorite princess when I went to lunch with some friends during my College Program and I couldn't talk when I met her because I was crying haha! She told me, "Is your adventure in the great wide somewhere going as you planned?" then she gave me a hug. I still can't describe how those feelings keep building up but it's not just the one time I meet them. I cry when I meet them every single time.
These characters and collections of stories got me through the hardest times of my life and are still helping get through now. In five months I will moving down to Orlando to permanently stay in the Walt Disney World area and I will cry from joy when I walk through the tunnels inside the Magic Kingdom for the first time again.
I always felt I couldn't make myself happy. Disney made me happy by watching others be happy in a way I used to be because they believe in what they are seeing. They are not tied down by politics, bills, broken relationships. They are in a world that is meant to make you forget about the real world. You are to forget about today.
Walt Disney's opening speech of Disneyland says,
"For all who come to this happy place, welcome, Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America, with the hope that it will be source of joy and inspiration to all the world."
If you watch of video of Walt giving this speech, if you're not completely hard hearted, it just might bring a tear to your eye. This speech alone gives me courage in a way I never got by playing sports or facing a car accident or something, but it gave me courage that I can get through the day. You could say that I'm exaggerating what Walt had said but read the Dedication of Fantasyland speech,
"Here is a land of imagination, hope and dreams. In this timeless land of chivalry, magic and make-believe are reborn and fairy tales come true. Fantasyland is dedicated to the young and the young at heart, to those who believe that when you wish upon a star, your dreams do come true."
I've never been more moved by a speech in my entire life. I grew up watching the recording of Walt Disney saying this speech and this is what made me want to work for the Walt Disney Company. I almost wasn't able to go because of issues with my dad but I was able to get the money together right before the deadline to make my employment with the Walt Disney Company a reality. When You Wish Upon A Star has been encouragement to me. My mom always told me that I can do anything I wanted when I grew up and she would support me all the way and this is always what I've wanted to do.
I told my mom in July, "Hey me and Heidi are going to move to Florida in January." All she said was "Okay. We'll figure everything out along the way, and we'll get you down there." She didn't ask questions, she still doesn't she just helps me plan for these next five months. She trusts me to handle everything but she also knows I'm doing what I've been wanting to do since I was five years old. She's happy for me for following my dreams.
By working on my College Program last summer I was experiencing family issues that affected me across the country. My parents were divorcing, my car got sold and there wasn't anything I could do about it. I realized what made me happy was being part of the Cast that made dreams come true everyday. When kids were excited to be at Disney for the first time, I would actually be able to CALL MICKEY MOUSE FOR THEM!!! They'd put my phone to their ears and just scream "MOM, DAD!! MICKEY'S TALKING TO ME!!" their parents would come up to me after and say thank you for making my son/daughter's trip.
When you're the one responsible for making a kid or an adult happy and realizing you just created magic for them that is the most rewarding this I've ever experienced and I couldn't ask for anything better.
The last speech by Walt I'd like to share with you guys is what is posted above the tunnel that leads you to Main Street U.S.A., it reads,
"here you leave today and enter a world of yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy."
I know I've said a bunch of things get me through the day but that is definitely the one that takes the cake. A bunch of people say they live in their own fantasy world at times. But i definitely do.
Thanks guys,
see ya real soon!
