Day 134: Teaching

At last night's concert, I received several gifts and notes from friends, all wishing me my best as I leave the group (it was our last concert after all...although like I said, it's not technically over yet). One of my friends gave me a four page letter, and she talked briefly about how if she hadn't met me, she probably wouldn't think anything more about Disney other than it's "childish."

Now, she put it in a great way in the letter, which I don't have here, but it did make me realize just how much I teach my friends about Disney, and how it can be so much more than the Princesses and Long Lines everyone makes it out to be. They can see how Disney has really impacted my own life, and now it's starting to impact theirs as well, even if they have yet to travel to Disney World like I have.

The same goes for my best friend, who I am always insanely proud of when she makes a reference to something Disney just because I talk about it all the time. I have a lot of friends that can do that now, how without ever having been to Disney, they can tell you about a certain experience or attraction easily. It's funny because on my last vacation, my brother was very adamant on announcing that he knows Disney just as well as I do (which he doesn't), and that people can trust him with important information on the 2014 Band Trip. On one of the days, which is embedded below, we have this entire conversation about how my best friend, Megan, knows more about Disney than my brother does, which is probably partly true.

I've taught my friends a lot of things, and many of those things center right back to Disney. They know that the parade starts at 3 sharp, and that it has no technical 90 degree turns like on our usual parade route. They can identify what or who I'm Disneybounding as on any given day (in fact, combined, Megan and I are Old Key West today...and she came up with it, I didn't!). They can tell you my favorite attractions and somewhat name what some of them are without thinking too hard. And there's quite a bit of Disney history they know now too.

I guess it's just interesting to see just how much my friends have learned from me just talking about Disney, and that they now know that it's more than just a childish thing. That makes me feel pretty proud, because I've always felt that one of my goals is to bring others into the Disney experience, and show them what it's really all about. There's always going to be that person that doesn't believe me and still thinks it's all Princesses, but if I can change just one person's mind and make them a Disney lover too, then that's a job well done.

And considering I've now got a circle of Disney loving friends, it seems that I'm doing a pretty good job.

Here's today's Disney History: 1944: Filmmaker George Lucas is born in Modesto, California. His popular Star Wars and Indiana Jones adventure movies are the inspiration for the Disney attractions Star Tours and Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye. Lucas was also the executive producer of Captain EO. One of the most successful and celebrated filmmakers in cinema history, his film career is dominated by writing and production. The animation studio Pixar was first founded as the Graphics Group, one third of the Computer Division of Lucasfilm.

Have a magical day!