Golden Dreams

I think for most Americans stepping into the American pavilion at Epcot brings on a new sense of pride. As residents of the USA, we have been through many life changing events and have held strong to our faith and freedom, represented by the stars and stripes of our beautiful, billowing red, white and blue flag. The American Adventure not only reminds us of great moments in American history, but it surrounds us with the song Golden Dreams...

America
spread your golden wings
Sail on freedom's wind
across the sky.
Great bird,
with your golden dreams
flying high, flying high.

Restless one in a world of change,
keeping dreams aloft in the rain.
Spirit free, soaring through the clouds
of time, of time.

America, you must keep dreaming now
Dreaming the promised vow of your pioneers
America, keep on flying now.
Keep your spirit free.
Facing new frontiers.

We recently had a burial for a fallen soldier here in my town of Parsons, Kansas. It was pouring rain, and the entire town stood outside in the rain for almost 2 hours waiting for the hearse to drive by on the way to the cemetery. I was so proud of us, my community, for doing what needed to be done, even when it was so miserable outside. It made me think of walking into the American Adventure. Our greatest and most tragic moments are somehow intertwined in the movie, as my pride and anguish were intertwined waiting for that poor soldier to pass us by that day. Not only does the American Pavilion make me proud of our country, but the song Golden Dreams helps me encompass that feeling.

The Dreams That You Wish Will Come True

A dream is a wish your heart makes
When you're fast asleep
In dreams you lose your heartaches
Whatever you wish for, you keep
Have faith in your dreams and someday
Your rainbow will come smiling thru
No matter how your heart is grieving
If you keep on believing
The dream that you wish will come true

The words to this song could not be more true. If you can dream it, then you can do it... (That takes us to a whole other song to be covered at a different time).

The moral of the story here is that you should never stop dreaming, because if you can create it in your head, you can make it a reality. No one was better at this than Walt Disney himself. The parks are real life proof of his dreams come true. The empire he built rules the entertainment market still to this day. His dreams weren't of fame and fortune, but of a place where everyone can be happy and feel like they never have to grow up.

So keep dreaming, keep moving forward, and never grow up!

I've got no strings...

I've got no strings
To hold me down
To make me fret
Or make me frown
I had strings
But now I'm free
There are no strings on me
Hi o the merio, that's the only way to be!
I want the world to know
notin' ever worries me
I've got no strings
so I have fun
I'm not tied up to anyone
They've got strings but you can see
there are no strings on me!

Being a true believer in the power of positive thinking and the mind, I mind occasionally wanders to what my purpose is and to who I am trying to make happy. It always comes back to one person: ME!

Do these words hold true in your life? Who is holding your strings? Who is your puppeteer? Obviously, if you have a family or a boss, it may seem like they are always holding your strings and making you their puppet. They run the show, and you just perform.

This doesn't have to be the case. You can become the puppeteer. It is all about the way you are perceiving the situation that you are in. If you are unhappy in your situation, what is the use in being in it? Turn the situation into one where you are happy with what you are accomplishing. If you change your mindset, you can transform your whole world.

A positive attitude can take you anywhere you want to go. Don't ever let anyone take control of your strings. Can you believe a child's cartoon can teach an adult such lessons?

Become the puppeteer, and Keep Moving Forward!

Innocence

"For those who get it, no explanation is necessary. For those who don't, no explanation will do."

This is the only way to explain Disney Magic. If you have been there and experienced it, you know exactly what I mean. If you never have, there is no way to explain it. You just have to go for yourself.

But why is it this way? What makes the explanation so unexplainable?

The only word I can think of is innocence. It's that teary-eyed feeling that you get when you see a Disney commercial on TV or the lump in your throat when you finally see Cinderella's Castle in the distance and feel like you are home once again.

That child-like innocence is an unexplainable feel. It is something that is priceless and can only be experienced, not elucidated.

To feel taken care of, comfortable, important, to feel carefree, excited and energized, Disney brings on these feeling. Maybe it is because so many of us grew up with Mickey cartoons, or Disney feature films. Maybe it is because our parents took us when we were in our purest childhood state. Maybe it has just been so ingrained in us through the heart-warming advertising of every Disney promotion that we just can't wait to get that feeling again.

At any rate, it's a feeling I know I can't and don't want to live without.

Once Upon a Time...

Once upon a time, there was a little girl whose parents took her to Walt Disney World for the first time. She flew on Dumbo, had a tea party with the Mad Hatter, journeyed into her imagination, visited countries all over the world and even got to go to an Aerosmith concert in a super stretch limo. It was one of the best times of her entire life.

After seven short days, the little girl and her family returned home. She cried as Cinderella's Castle vanished in the distance.

The little girl never forgot the magic that she felt at Walt Disney World and has yearned to feel that way every day since her first experience there.

Fast forward almost fifteen year, as the little girl, now a big girl, sits at her computer, writing this blog, hoping that somewhere, somehow, she can help some other little girl or little boy remember the magic that they felt at Disney World when they return home.

I hope this blog helps all kids, young and old, remember the magic of Walt Disney World. And if you have never been there, I hope that it helps you experience Walt Disney's dream in a way that will make you want to visit.

Here's to Remembering The Magic!