I said it in my second blog post, back in January (although it was worded differently...the meaning is still there). I've said it countless times since then...and even more-so in my real life...away from my writing and into the world I travel each and every day. There is no doubt in the mind's of my friends that I am, in every way, made up of my love of Disney. It is my world, my thoughts, my being, my life. That's how it's always been, and that's how I hope it always will be.
But there are times I almost wish I never knew anything about it. I wish my parents hadn't taken me to Disney World when I was 15 months old, and that I wouldn't have gone back 22 times since then. I wish I didn't know what Spaceship Earth was, or the history of Mickey Mouse. I wish I could experience it the way other people do. That I wouldn't be seen the way I am because of my love of Disney, either as childish or spoiled or rich. It sounds like a terrible thing to complain about...it really does, but it's there, it's inside me, and it's still the truth.
I'm not starving or homeless. I don't have money issues, I've got fair grades, and I'm in line for scholarships. My house is big enough for more than just my family, I have my own bathroom, and my bedroom is filled with hundreds of dollars of memorabilia from Disney, among other things. I love movies, and have an endless supply of them. I can watch TV whenever I want...and whatever I want. I can read books constantly and not worry about how much time it takes. I got a new laptop, and I sit with a iPhone on my bed, a TV across the room and a second, older laptop (although it doesn't work), on a nearby chair. And on top of it all...I go to Disney.
So I can see where people come up with the ideas, and this is getting very off track, but what I hate about this world, about my love of Disney, is that people assume so much. They have no idea that Disney really is my life. I can say it time and time again, and they still won't understand. Maybe those closest to me, or some teachers that can see the fire within me, notice how much it impacts me, but overall, people are never going to understand (unless, someday, I do get to work at Disney).
And there are many times that I forget that not everyone loves Disney like I do. They don't have a dream to work as an Imagineer, and they haven't had a lifelong goal of marching down Main Street in a parade with a Band. They haven't gone on Spaceship Earth once, and they don't have a want to. To them, Six Flags, or Universal is a great idea, some place they can't wait to go to...while I sit wishing I were somewhere else. They don't want the Disney movies, or get excited over the fact that the new Starbucks at Disney will have Soy Milk. They fall for traps like the "Andy's Coming!" idea, and get excited enough to want to try it...asking me how it works...and I always have to spoil their fun. They don't want to play Disney selections for their Senior Song in Band, and they don't want to read Kingdom Keepers. They don't love Disney like I do, and they probably never will.
I think there's a time that everyone, as kids, loves Disney, and see's it as a goal to go to Disney World, or at least wish for something like that to happen. But in reality, very few of us have the opportunities I did, to have it not be a want, but a normality. To have Disney as a regular figure in our lives, guiding and teaching. I don't know how to fix it, or if it even can be fixed. I don't know how to calm down about Disney, or how to stop talking about it, or how to be quiet when the conversation comes up. I don't think any of us would. They won't see Disney the way we do. It won't be exciting or magical or special. And I think that's something we sometimes forget.
I know I do.
Here's today's Disney History: 2009: The Food and Wine Festival opens for its fourth consecutive year at Disney's California Adventure. This year's festival, dubbed "World Celebration," focuses on the cultures, experiences & flavors from all around the world that influence California. The festival will run for 45 days.
Have a magical day!
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