How Disney inspired me.

One of the best things about Disney World is how genuinely kind everyone who works there is.  Everyone I encountered seemed to really enjoy their job, even if it was as simple as being a ride operator.  When we left, at the airport, Ryan and I were a little shell-shocked once we left the Disney bubble.  People were no longer smiling, or extremely friendly - it was so strange!  As we made our way through security and onto the plane, I commented on how I don't understand why it can't be like that everywhere we go.

Any excuse to post a photo of my home away from home ;)

Why is it so hard to smile at someone?  I remember when I was younger, I would smile at everyone, everywhere I went! When I was about ten years old, I was riding my bike to the library (stop laughing at me), and I was sitting at a crosswalk waiting to cross, smiling away, and this couple rolled their window down and yelled, "Yeah, you keep on smiling!"  Like it was strange for me to be smiling.  It shouldn't be so weird.  Kindness, happiness - I want to live that out.  I want to be remembered as someone who smiles, someone who is kind, and someone who radiates happiness.  

I know life isn't always easy, but I want to continue to smile.  I want to be as positive as possible.  I know life is hard - these past few months have really taken their toll on me.  My grandmother was diagnosed with cancer, my son died, and my uncle is on the brink of death, having battled several forms of cancer these past few years.  I know grief and pain in the most intimate ways, ways that I wish I had never known.  When we were in Disney, I started crying as soon as we arrived onsite, because like I told Ryan, I didn't know I could feel that happy again.  This sense of relief flooded me, as I was able to smile so easily, and people smiled back.

So, can we start smiling at people?  Can we all agree to be kind to one another?  Can we stop waiting for a tragedy to be gentle and supportive?  Ryan and I have had countless discussions about how we don't understand why it took our son passing for people to start being nice to us.  In the weeks following his death, I was almost angry about it.  Why did it take him dying in order for someone to be nice?  We shouldn't be that way…and I'm just as guilty!  If I can take away anything positive from this horrible experience, it's that - that we should be kind to one another.  I want to live like I'm at Disney everyday - smiling, being positive and kind.

Let's all make an effort to do this, and watch as our worlds are transformed, one act of kindness, and one smile at a time.