The Hub

NOVEL (sorry - and I know it's a bit late, but I still want to say it): At Admin’s suggestion, I’d like to share how Walt’s dream has affected my life. My first trip to Disneyland, at age 5, came about as a result of something good coming out of something bad. Before I was born, my dad had sustained severe head injuries in an explosion at his work. After a stint in intensive care and a lot of therapy, he went on to fight a protracted court battle that was finally settled in our Supreme Court when I was 4. That payout meant that our little working-class family had the opportunity to fulfill some dreams that would otherwise have been out of our reach. One of these was a trip to Disneyland. For a little girl, still full of magic and the belief in Santa and fairies (that actually never changed), coming from a very quiet, isolated part of the world to Disneyland was tantamount to walking through a movie screen into a total fantasy. That’s the only way I can describe it. I remember staying at a local motel the night before where all the bushes were neatly clipped into the shapes of Disney characters and I remember being so sick with excitement the night before that I threw up. The day itself is kind of lost in the mists of time and my dad’s old Super 8 films, but I know this: that day ignited something in me that was never extinguished. I was able to visit Disneyland many more times after that, starting with my next trip at age 7 when we arrived to live in LA for a few years and going to Disneyland for both class trips and family ones. And the thing about it that resonates me the most is that walking under that sign on the tunnels under the railroad is truly the gateway to an alternative reality - where everyone can be a child, where Mickey Mouse is real, where there’s a new adventure to be had with every step, and magic is always possible and probable. Now I live far away, but because of MW, Disneyland is a part of my life - and my children’s lives - every day. And for that, I’m very thankful.