Day 446: The Cold Hard Truth

Much to all of our dismay, there always comes a time that we must leave Walt Disney World, or Disneyland, or whatever Disney Destination we prefer. Back in July I did write a blog post about how terrible it is to leave Disney, and the funniest part is it's hard to talk about it beyond saying "I HATE IT OUT HERE, LET ME GO BACK!" Or "I MISS HOME SO MUCH!" or "TAKE ME BACK TO DISNEY WORLD RIGHT NOW."

Yep, those seem to be the natural responses of Disney fans when they return...to where it is they came from. You can't really say you return home, because for the most of us, returning home means going to Disney, so when you leave Disney it's like leaving home. In fact, it's funny because when I was down there this trip I couldn't help but think about it. I didn't cry when I left home for College, and I only cried a little bit when I left my High School Band (although I guess technically I'm still there a little bit. I still have the band trip to look forward to). But no matter how many times I go or how old I get or however long I was there, I cry when I leave Disney. Every. Single. Time. Because you really are leaving home. It's a home that we all have, but we just aren't at for most of the year.

Which leads me to the other half of today's topic: home. I had another interesting revelation on this trip. When I step foot in a Disney Park, it's like walking through the front door. It's incredibly natural for me. I can picture everything perfectly in my head at any time, as if when I walk back to my dorm tonight and open my door, Disney World is what's waiting on the other side instead of my small room. It's just a kind of funny feeling, because I really do know exactly where I am and where I want to go and everything. I feel like I'm home.

In other words, it feels 100% natural for me to be there. That's not really a feeling I have anywhere else. You just feel like you belong there, as if you're a part of the park and of the magic. I'm not sure if everyone feels that way, but I sure do, and I think a lot of my fellow Disney fans will agree with me. When you grow up with something like Disney it's a part of you just as much as you're a part of it. And when we aspire to become Cast Members someday to make people happy, because that's what we love and because we want to make the experience just as magical for someone else as someone did for us, we're only adding to the experience, on both our end and their's.

So no wonder leaving Disney is so painful. It's like a part of you is only with you for a few days, and then you're ripped away again. Frustrating stuff if you ask me. Don't worry though, since there were so many of us down at Disney within the period of like a couple weeks, we can all fight this Disney Depression together.

Pictures from my final day at Disney:

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on March 27 due to Midterms and Travel).