Day 92: Inspiring People

Aside from the fact that I pulled the best April 2nd joke on a friend of mine ever (And I have Finding Dory to thank for that...which, by the way, I am very excited about...more than I can express in words), I got a text from a friend today that just got me thinking a few minutes ago.

She is, like all sophomores in the advanced English course at my school, writing an essay on a person who inspires her, at least that's what I remember the assignment to be from my own sophomore year (gosh that seems like so long ago!). She asked me specifically if she could write about Walt Disney, and my response was pretty simple and short...

If you want to do your essay on Disney, that's fine, but I believe you're doing the one on someone who inspires you, correct? I did mine on Disney, obviously  but my only warning is to make sure that he is the one who really inspires you. The Disney company as a whole is totally different from the man himself. 

I figured it works, and in reality, we are each inspired every day by a wide variety of people. I have a long list of those who inspire me, but Walt has held the top spot for as long as I can remember, so it made complete sense for me to write my own essay on his life and why he is so inspiring (and honestly I really wish I could find that essay right about now!). Yet there are many others on my list: Abraham Lincoln, Harrison Ford, many of my teachers, my friends...even non-existent characters (Lizzie Bennett for instance).

The point here is, when deciding which one person to write about on a project like the one she's doing, you need to make sure that it's someone who really does inspire you. I see so many people inspired by Walt Disney every day of my life, and that's great, but the difference between me and everyone else (other than those like me), is that I respect and admire the man himself, not the movies or just the parks. It is Walt Disney and his trials and tribulations (Thank you Princess & the Frog!) that inspires me. His never ending will and his endless imagination. That's Walt Disney, and while his movies are always inspiring, there certainly is a difference.

Not that my friend doesn't understand that, of course, but it never hurts to mention it, and like I said...it did get me thinking.

Here's today's Disney History: 1967: Walt Disney's final introduction on his Wonderful World of Color TV series airs. Walt had died less than 4 months earlier and there will be no regular host for the remainder of the original run. This evening's episode - A Salute to Alaska with Ludwig von Drake.

Have a magical day!