It’s 1998 and you’re running with a pink autograph book in one hand, and pulling your mom by the other. You absolutely have to get Cinderella’s autograph and a picture with her! Perhaps you’re a Mickey fan with a blue autograph book? Whatever the case, we all know that before we were old enough to watch MTV these, “stars,” were our celebrity idols. Every girl wanted her prince charming, (some are still looking,) and every boy wanted to fight off Captain Hook all on his own. Disney was probably the most magical place in the galaxy back then.
Fast forward a few years and retake this journey at the age of 16. You start to notice things. One, its 95 degrees you’re not frantically searching for Mickey because you know he’s in the employee lounge with his head in an ice bucket because that mouse head is hotter than a sauna. Two, every time you see something you absolutely NEED to have you grab it and instead of, “mommy please!,” you check the price tag and it’s, “seriously!?” Now don’t get me wrong I loved my return to Disney. I proudly sang along with The Little Mermaid show, I fought space aliens on Planet Zurg, I even ran up to Cinderella’s Castle to take a picture. In doing all of this I learned something on this trip. The magic of Disney doesn’t fade away, and you can be reassured of that by looking at the face of every child in any park there. It’s a part of you. You remember the stories, yes even you, the big buff football player reading this article I know you watched the Lion King and have the tune stuck in your head now! This is your inner child and we all need to embrace it sometimes! I don’t mean drop all maturity and go run amuck, but look at the simpler things in life and appreciate them like when you were a kid. The day a singing lion puts a smile on a group of 17 and 18 year olds faces will be a great one. Because as he, “just couldn’t wait to be king,” some of us, “just can’t wait to be grads.” The messages and lessons we can take out of these now are things that we were taught as a kid without even knowing! Why should it be any different now? As a wise Cricket once told you, you SHOULD always let your conscience be your guide. A dream IS a wish your heart makes. Nothing's impossible. And as the Fairy Godmother herself told me, “Even miracles take a little time.”