Planet Disneyland

I have always been a dreamer. I might sound like John Lennon when I say that, but it’s the truth. When I was younger it seems like that is all I did. I would like to say I was original and dreamed of marvelous things, but I was just as cliché then as I am now. I loved all the Disney princesses and dreamed one day I could meet them. Yes, my dream was to go to Disneyland. 

I never had the opportunity to go when I was a child. When I got the chance to go to Disneyland as a teenager, I took it. The spring break of my junior year, I went to Disneyland for the first time. It was just as magical as I could have ever hoped. I dreamed of going back.

This spring break my dream came true once again. Even though I am now technically an adult, Disneyland is still one of my favorite places in the whole word. There is magic there that I have not found anywhere else. I could tell so many stories of the wonderful time I had this week, but there is one experience that allowed me to have a terrific epiphany.

My mom, sister, and I were all standing in line at my favorite restaurant, Jolly Holiday. We were discussing what to get when the lady standing in front of us recommended the grilled cheese. We ordered, and while I was waiting in the pick-up line, I saw the same lady. “Did you end up getting the grilled cheese,” I asked. “Of course, that’s all I ever get. I work here, and whenever I get the chance I come and get a grilled cheese. They’re my favorite!” The worker at Jolly Holiday interrupted, “Leah!” Leah, the lady who I had been talking to, walked up and got her grilled cheese.  “It was nice meeting you,” I said as she walked away. At Disneyland these kinds of conversations happen all the time so I didn’t think anything of it.

I went back to sit with my mom and sister. We were talking and resting our feet after a long, exhausting day when Leah came over to the table next to us. She laughed and said, “I promise I am not stalking you. My friends are out and I told them to meet me here. They’ll be able to see me from this table.” We all laughed as she sat down to eat.

Now here is a little secret about my mom: she can talk to anyone. So we sat there waiting for the parade, while my mom started talking to Leah. We found out a lot about her; she was extremely friendly. Leah had been to Disneyland a plethora of times. She had spent many birthdays, anniversaries, and even the Y2K disaster at this magnificent place. After years of visiting, she fulfilled her dream and started working at Disneyland. She was attracted to this phenomenal land for the same reason I was. It's magical. She said she wanted to work there because she wanted to "share the magic."  

As the parade started getting closer, we figured we had better go find a seat if we wanted to see anything. Everything at Disneyland is always crowded, especially the shows. “Where is the best place to watch the parade?” My mom asked our new friend Leah. She thought for a second, got up, and said, “Hold on.” Then Leah came back to us extremely excited. “Ok, new friends! I just did something amazing. Come on!”

We followed Leah to VIP seats where we sat down to watch the parade. It was amazing! The friends that Leah had been waiting for later joined us, and I watched the most incredible parade I have ever seen with my new friends. We thanked her for "sharing the magic."

Looking at the past two spring breaks I see that they were both magical. Disneyland is just as marvelous as little Shayna imagined. Before I met Leah I liked to believe that Disneyland was really magical, but it’s not. Disneyland is full of people who like to make others feel good. It’s full of workers who are trained to share the Disney magic. This got me thinking. Why isn’t the world like Disneyland? If people have the capability to make others feel wonderful about themselves just like they do at Disneyland, why don’t we? We could all list why we don’t.

* I’m busy.

* I have somewhere to be.

* I don’t want them to think I’m weird.

* They look like they don’t want to be bothered.

* I don’t know them.

* It won’t make a difference.

* I just can’t.

All of those are valid reasons, but they are just excuses.  We all have the capability to make everyone feel wonderful. We choose to be happy and we choose who we share that happiness with. Leah taught me that it’s not hard to do something nice for others. She taught me that we are all magical. Sometimes we just don’t realize that we have so much to offer. I hope one day we can all see that we can make others’ dreams come true, that this life is full of opportunities to help others. And if you can’t see that, then maybe you need to listen to Michael Jackson when he says, “If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make a change.” If we all strive to share our magic within, we can make this world a better place; we can make this world Disneyland.