Recently, I was headed to the Magic Kingdom, and I was in a bad mood. It was raining; the forecast lied. I got stuck behind a driver with a million questions at the toll plaza. The security line was longer than I’ve seen it on a non-party day. My umbrella set off the security system, even though I held it out and didn’t have a bag. The less than magical Security Cast Member took forever. (I was nice to him, I promise.) I was having a hard time finding the magic.
I decided to take the monorail instead of the ferry, and it was packed. A boy of about ten pushed me to get on before me, and I mumbled under my breath. The monorail started to go, and all I could think about was how wet my feet were.
Then it happened. There was a girl on the monorail who was probably about six years old. She gasped, and then loudly said to her parents, “It’s the castle!” Her excitement was contagious, even with wet socks.
In that moment, I was taken back to my own childhood and my first glimpse of Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty Castle with my family. Everything was new and magic was real! That little girl reminded me why I love Disney so much. I hope that she had the best day ever.
After I got off the monorail, my perspective had changed. It was still raining, but that just meant that I could get better pictures. I volunteered to take pictures for a sweet couple in front of Partners. I noticed that two women were trying to figure something out on the map, so I asked them if they needed help finding something. (They did.) The rain didn’t even bother me anymore. I was already wet, so why complain?
The rain turned into drizzle, and then had pretty much moved out by the time I left. After I got off the monorail, I walked over near the entrance to the ferry and snapped the picture above. As I did, I thought once more about that little girl. She wasn’t concerned about the weather, crowds, or Wait Times. Instead, she was excited about the magic that she was about to experience. May we all feel the same each time we gaze at Cinderella Castle.