The "Mouse" Race

I never anticipated as I packed our bags for Disney World that I would find our time there to be so contemplative. I have been to Disney four times since 2008. Each experience has been filled with much fun and many magical family memories. This Disney trip 2013 has been no exception to the amount of fun and magical moments we have experienced.  It has also been filled, however, with many moments of deep thought about life and faith.  Can you  picture me now, sporting my yoga pants, sitting on the lush green lawns of Epcot, eyes closed, lips pursed in a hommmmm, while I contemplate the meaning of life? :-) Although the idea of sitting quietly by myself in Disney basking in the glow of the winter sun sounds quite lovely, in reality I found myself standing in one line after another waiting and then waiting some more to get a piece of the proverbial pie in the sky. Perhaps it was the sheer sensation of the large crowds that seemed to swarm around me like bees humming around a honey-filled hive that drove my mind to an alternate universe far from my actual experience. Or maybe it was the constant stop-and go push of those around me as we collectively inched ourselves through chain-made mazes closer and closer to our prize that made me experience an "a-ha" moment. As I was standing in line waiting for the park to open one day, it occurred to me that Walt Disney didn't create a theme park in developing Disney World; but rather, he created a true microcosm of the world we actually live in. Perhaps Mr. Walt Disney chuckled to himself when he chose a mouse as the Head Cheese of the microcosm theme park he created. Perhaps he envisioned his World to be a life-changing experience as the participants actually became like mice and entered the "rat-race" of fun and magic. Don't get me wrong, I love Disney World. I have had and do have fun in visiting all of the beautiful and well-developed parks that are a part of the entire Disney World experience. This trip, for whatever reason, gave me a different perspective about how humans for the most part experience life. In our time at Disney, I did observe families having fun and enjoying their experience of the magical world around  them. I also observed families in great frustration as overly tired children cried and threw tantrums as their patience for waiting expired. I observed courteous behavior as each person waiting for their turn at the magic respected the person before and after his place in line. But I also observed a sense of anxiety as a designated family member rushed off to get fast passes in order to achieve the magic at a more rapid pace. I heard not only from the lips of those around me but also from my own lips, "There's no whining in Disney World, we're supposed to be having fun!" And fun we did have. Again I throw out a disclaimer that I am not bashing Disney World. I thoroughly enjoy Disney World, but sometimes it is just too much. My contemplative experience this go around at Disney World has left me with this realization. We enter into the "rat race" of life either by choice or subconsciously. We move along in our chained parameters seeking the prize at the end of the maze, however, in the end, after the "magic" has been obtained, do we sometimes feel like it is too much? We are overworked, over scheduled, overstimulated and exhausted. We may feel like we just want to throw in the towel and give up, but that is where our faith comes in to save the day. We realize that through our relationship with God we don't have to continue along the same man-made path in order to find real happiness. We can get out of the "rat race" and find our true joy and blessings in a slower pace of life in which we collectively work for the common good of others and find God dwelling amongst us in our very own hearts. In this New Year 2013, one of my goals for myself and my family is to tune in to the slower pace of life where we can hear God as he gently guides us along his path for our lives. I want to intentionally discover day-by-day the blessings God has in store for us as I look for ways in which to break out of the chains that keep us from fully enjoying the life God planned for us to lead. My hope is that through prayer, intentional seeking and small and big leaps of faith, we will experience a more peaceful joy filled life full of the wondrous blessings God has in store for our family.

Side Note: This is my final post from Disney from my i-Phone. After we return I will be posting more photos from our trip from the big girl camera. We really did have a wonderful time on our trip!