Wednesday, March 19, 2008

They say they can make dreams come true...

And maybe that's a little bit true.

We went to Disney World last week. It was a Space Age family reunion, including my parents, my siblings, and their families. I had once visited Epcot many years ago, for just a couple of hours at the tail end of a business trip. I had never explored fully, nor had I ever been where dreams are supposed to come true: the Magic Kingdom.

I'm over forty. I wondered if the magic would still work for me. It's just princesses and cartoons and silly roller coasters...or is it?

Though I will never see the Magic Kingdom as a child, I did get to experience it through the eyes of four children - two of my own, and two of my nieces. I had the once-in-a-lifetime privilege of soaring through the skies and space next to my own father, just as we might have thirty years ago when I was still just a kid.

We flew on magic carpets, roared through mountains, sang with pirates, and rocketed beyond the stratosphere. We found volcanoes and singing birds and dancing horses and glittering carriages. We walked on stones trod by millions before us, their collective history making real what our own eyes saw.

Somehow, it worked. If there is such a thing as pixie dust, it drifted above and around us for that one week. I'm left now to wonder if my original family - scattered to the winds once again, living our own lives - will ever be together in such a way. Maybe we will, and for that I can hope.

For now, I have warm and balmy memories of a few days spent suspended in a magical time warp that dissolved the barriers of time and distance. We are lucky, and even better: we know we are lucky.

Some dreams do come true.

6 comments:

Grinningcomb said...

That sounds absolutly fabulous. I'm totally jealous because this 27 year old kid still hasn't made it to DisneyWorld. The one chance I had as a kid my brother decided to get married and I had to skip the trip.

Unknown said...

I was JUST telling my husband how badly I want to return to WDW. I'm glad you had a great time, and everything worked out.

Marie said...

Oh, if you thought WDW was magical, you still have to experience the original: Disneyland (in Anaheim, natch)!

I'm still jealous of you, but if you ever make it out to California I'll be more than happy to serve as a Disneyland tour guide! :)

nolechica said...

I saw it as a little kid and a pre-teen, but I liked roller coasters too much to care for the Magic Kingdom, liked Universal, EPCOT, and MGM ok. I would like to go to Islands of Adventure though, preferably before I leave Florida.

Admin said...

Add me to the bunch of people who are totally jealous. I haven't made it to Disneyworld yet either but I will someday, I swear on my collection of Mickey Mouse memorabilia(and I have a lot of Mickey stuff).
It sounds immensly fun, I'm hapy you enjoyed your trip and the time you spent with your family.

Krista said...

I've been to DisneyWorld once in my life, and I hope to bring my daughter there when she's old enough to appreciate it. I'm glad you had a great time :O)