We arrive at the happiest place on earth, Disneyworld. We are travel weary, the heat and humidity oppressive, still we are excited to spend the next ten days with our daughters, son-in-law and grandsons.
We are staying at the Port Orleans Riverside, complete with riverboats to transport us to Downtown Disney or carriage rides to view the landscape. There is a running trail though I wonder how difficult it will be to run here as my clothing is wet from the short walk to the room.
It’s heart warming to see so many families share the experience. The little ones can barely contain their excitement with non stop pop, swimming late at night, movies under the stars, and their parents unplugged. Phones are used though only to record a parade, add a fast pass selection or to text to meet other friends or family. The older children try to play it cool, but soon they are swept away. How sweet to see a Dad sing all the words to Beauty and the Beast as the parade rolls past.
We hear a Dad discuss dinosaurs with his three small children, each child excitedly adding to the conversation, their input essential. The Dad concludes by stating he was just happy Megacerops no longer lived. This earned him agreement from all parties concerned.
We overhear a Mom acknowledging to her son that yes she had seen his sister bite him and yes it wasn’t the first time. She reminded him that he had also bitten his sister in the past. It strikes us as comical at the time a glimpse into family life so unlike the books written on the subject.
I see the smile on my husband’s face as he views the Magic Kingdom for the first time, an icon from our childhood. We are like little children on the teacups, spinning the cups as fast as they will move and laughing. Our favourite ride is Splash Mountain and we would happily ride it all day.
Our two year old grandson takes us by the hand to join him on his favourite ride Cat In The Hat, we happily queue up to enjoy the ride a total of 23 times, the lines shorter than Splash Mountain and easy to accomplish. Our youngest grandson, not quite a year has less options still becomes Beastmaster of the day riding the Seuss Carousel four times. We enjoy our too large ice cream cones complete with sprinkles and a mountain of napkins to mop up the after effects.
I purchase mouse ears for our daughters. We could not afford them the first time we came here 23 years ago. They look so cute and wear them with pride. They look like little girls again as they pose for their picture. There are many little girls dressed as Princesses, complete with glass slippers (white plastic) and tiaras.
There is magic here. I pause to know why and then I understand. We are in a child’s world where wonder, possibility and magic exist. Reality fades away and we are drawn in and nestle down for the duration. Happily we exist only for this moment and then the next. We remember and are happy to return to the days of our youth even for a short time.
whatsrightintheworldtoday 