I know that many people make these kind of reflections in January. That makes sense. The year has literally changed and people think about they have changed as well. For me, August was the turning point of my life when I realized how completely head over heels in love I was with Disney. We had a trip planned for September 12th to the 16th and it was going to be wonderful. I had planned it almost exactly 6 months before hand, so I had just enough time to start learning about booking dining and learning about more of the restaurants, parks, attractions (I swear, I didn't know there was an attraction inside Spaceship Earth until a couple days before I was in Epcot), parades, shows, Walt, and perhaps most importantly, learning about other Disney fans.
What a special breed of people they are. I mean that in both the good and bad. There are some really, truly miserable people out there in the Disney community. They only find the bad in the changes Disney makes (see my previous post about accepting change without being a negative Nancy), they will be resort snobs to the max and put down those who can't get on their level, the ones who will make a cast member's day a living hell. But at the same time, there are some absolutely wonderful people among them who find the good in the bad, the ones who will go out of their way to make Disney even more magical than it is, the ones who will wish upon a star and wrap themselves in the magic, whether they're in the parks or not. These are the best kind of Disney fan, and I'm proud to say I'm good friends with many of them.
I would not have been to several new cities without them. I don't even know if I'd have become a Disney travel agent without them. And now I find myself running a half marathon in Walt Disney World because of them. The work outs can seem long, and I can sure as hell feel sore the next day, but I know it's going to be completely worth it. I'm going to wear that Princess Half medal for days after I cross the finish line.
There are many people I am doing this marathon for. For myself, of course. That's a given. For my husband, so he may have a healthier and cuter wife. For my future children, so that they'll have a healthy home for 9 months and have a mom who should last a lot longer than I would in my current state, and so they know they can do anything if they put their heart into it. But also for my father-in-law. He tragically passed away earlier this year and one of the last things I remember telling him (or having my husband tell him, as I don't speak Danish that well) was that I was training to run in a half marathon in Disney World. I will completely uphold my promise, come what may.
When someone passes away, one of the things we think about is the things they will not be able to witness with us in person, but I know they'll be there in their own way. My father-in-law will never meet my first born child, but he will be there. He will quite literally be a part of this child of ours, making up 1/4th of him or her and I know our child will have characteristics that will remind us of him, and while it may be bittersweet each time, he'll still be there.
I feel the same way with Walt. He may have died at a very young age (he and my father-in-law were almost the same age, too) but his impact on this world cannot be denied. I cannot imagine a world without Disney in it. Movies would not be as full of heart, vacations would not be as fun, and I just shudder to think what the state of the world would be in without Mickey in it.
Because of Walt, I will run. For Walt, I will run.
I only hope that we don't lose sight of one thing - it was all started by a mouse.
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