Do you ever wonder what it would be like to be a kid again? Are there times in your life where you might be sitting at work and reminiscing about the carefree innocent days of childhood? Recently, I thought about my first family trip to Disney as a child and the happiness I felt there.
I had the privilege of taking my daughter there recently and her only request was that I would dress up like a princess as she would for our day in Disney. I must admit, before going, I was nervous about going and didn’t know what to expect. I was hesitant about the long lines for every ride only to be on the ride for a couple of minutes, the abundance of crowds in every section of the park, the ridiculous amount of money spent on the food and every imaginable toy offered at the park, and the anticipated child meltdown at the end of the day as everyone tries to exit the park.
Yes, all of this may be true, but I saw another side of Disney this past spring break.
They don’t call it Magic Kingdom for nothing. The moment I saw the image of the castle as the monorail entered the park, I couldn’t help it but I felt myself get excited. Entering the kingdom on a sunny day, seeing all the Disney characters, the band marching down the street in the afternoon, going to my favorite rides (Splash mountain, Space mountain, The carousel, The teacups, the Dumbo and Peter Pan ride) brought me back to a time in my life when everything was so simple and being a
happy kid was enough.
We grow up, we go through our challenges, we deal with the pressures of everyday life but Disney is the one place where it is really ok to just let yourself be a kid again. Going to the Bippity Bop boutique with my daughter, experiencing the fairy godmother hologram in the magic mirror, meeting all the Disney princesses, having dinner at the castle and lastly watching the fireworks light up the night sky filled my heart with such an unexpected joy.
It caught me by surprise that I still felt this way about this place after all these years. I ended the night on a high note…going on my last and favorite ride, “It’s a small world” while singing the famous song until the very end. As I left the park that night on that monorail, my daughter turned to me and told me that I looked so happy.
It was truly wonderful to be a kid again even just for a day.