I think we all have that thing in life we are just zealous about. Chances are you have more than one thing..I know I do. Recently I was thinking on those "passions" in my life..the things that make me who I am and the things that just simply bring me joy. I think our interests and passions are what make us so unique. Some of our passions/hobbies spark from our natural born talent, some are just things that have developed over time and some are trades we've worked really hard to be good at for years and years. I get joy out of seeing others fulfill their passions.. I LOVE seeing someone in THEIR element. You can see it all over someones face when they talk about and do what they love. This is one of those life joys we so often forget to appreciate. It is just really cool to me to see someone doing their own thing or succeeding in their skill of expertise or just simply thrilled with the newest art they have created. My friends and I are all extremely different in fact none of us really share the exact same passions. While we all appreciate each others interests, we each have something that make us different. I love this about my group of friends. We have each just kind of found our thing that brings us joy or little hobbies that thrill our souls. Thats the way life should be. If you haven't found yours yet. Keep searching. You will know it when you find it.
I wanted to write a little bit about one of my passions/hobbies how ever you want to look at it.
There are a few things that I would definitely say i'm specifically "geeky" about and one those things is Disney.
so here's the story...
It all started well...at birth. My parents clothed me in Mickey and Minnie from the time I was born and surround me with numerous toys and accessories sporting the famous Disney characters. It's really no wonder that I turned out the way I did. My earliest memories involve these characters.. these are faces that i've known as familiar since I was in my crib. I have many pictures to prove how early this Disney love started so i'll share a few of those now...
There are a few things that I would definitely say i'm specifically "geeky" about and one those things is Disney.
so here's the story...
It all started well...at birth. My parents clothed me in Mickey and Minnie from the time I was born and surround me with numerous toys and accessories sporting the famous Disney characters. It's really no wonder that I turned out the way I did. My earliest memories involve these characters.. these are faces that i've known as familiar since I was in my crib. I have many pictures to prove how early this Disney love started so i'll share a few of those now...
As you see the Disney name and brand has been a constant in my life so it is no wonder that these characters feel so warm and familiar...after all i've seen them my whole life. It didn't really dawn on me until I was in my 20s why I never really "grew up" or "grew out" of appreciating these characters like I did other characters from my childhood. I never "got over" Disney. For awhile I tried to pretend that Disney movies weren't still my favorites to pop in although they were...Beauty and the Beast still to this day remains one of my favorite movies of all time. I recently just settled into the fact that that the Disney name has always been there and it always will be there. It holds some of my fondest memories, dreams and most importantly it holds the nostalgia of the good sweet parts of my childhood. It's the whimsy of it all that I can't let go of and I don't really think I want to. I think if we let completely go..we may truly forget what it means to live. Disney as a whole taught me how to dream and how to believe. The characters came to life through films,books and music. Those characters even taught me valuable life lessons.
My love for Disney grew even deeper when I accepted a photopass role in the Disney College program in spring of 2010. I spent my last semester of college planning for the big move to Florida. I graduated then left home and everything I had ever known for the adventure of a lifetime. The memories and friendships I gained from this experience actually gave me back so much more than I could have ever asked for. I extended in January 2011 and stayed for one more semester working in Vacation Planning. The 10 months I spent in Orlando at Walt Disney World will always rank pretty high up on my list of amazing life opportunities. I can't begin to tell you the things I saw and experienced while working at WDW. I am convinced that the people I met (from guests to other cast members) are some of the best. I am left with friends from all over the world and these lasting friendships are what I am most thankful for about the whole experience. I could see the difference I was a part of and the memories I was helping create daily for families. Watching memories unfold for people never got old to me and still even now when I go back to visit the oooo's and ahhhh's from the crowd as they experience Disney magic for the first time just makes me so happy. I guess its because I know I am witnessing something special.. Something those kids will always talk about.. Something those parents will cherish long after their kids are grown and gone and that's memories in the making. Some people think I'm silly.. Some just don't understand,but if you get the chance to experience what I'm talking about you'll understand.
I admire the empire that Walt Disney himself built around all of these important things adults so often forget to appreciate: Memories, Whimsy, Faith, Dreaming,Magic and simply believing in things that can't be explained. I believe in the company..what it represents and the traditions it works so hard to maintain.
I personally believe happiness lies somewhere between the worlds of grown up knowledge and child like wonder. Keeping our minds young and igniting wonder is something we sometimes forget to do as adults. Our minds get busy with the daily grind the worries and stresses of life and we simply forget to just let our minds rest and to be happy over little things like bubbles, fireworks and ice cream cones. Those little joys in life are all around us and the Disney Company is what reminds me to step back and not take life so seriously.
Our time is so precious. Make fun memories and cherish them. It's doesn't have to be at Disney world. Hopefully it will be doing whatever it is that you love and are passionate about. Take time to find something you are passionate about and pursue it. All those things you keep wanting to do. Go do them.
