October 9, 2006 (revised September 12, 2010)
It was four o'clock in the morning. The world outside was still doused in darkness, but inside our house a few lights illuminated the last-minute preparations of my parents, my brother and me. And our excitement illuminated our faces. This was the day--this summer morning that thronged with a silent exhilaration--that we would be in the most magical place on earth, Disneyland.
After what seemed like no time at all, we were at Disneyland's gates. The daylight hours had all flipped by as we drove and flew, and it was now dark once again. But not so in Disneyland! We arrived just in time for the Electric Parade. Dazzling sensations of wonder coursed through me at the sight of the brilliant lights drifting by, lighting up the floats and waving characters. Sleeping Beauty's Castle was even better than the parade; the sparkly dresses and beautiful dolls and glittery storybook pages were to wonderful for words. Toon Town, It's a Small World, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride--all were spectacular, all filled my young mind with utter awe.
Each day was better than the one before. We would go, go, go, from morning to night, taking in all the sights and smells of Disneyland before our precious hours were gone. We were spun by big Teacups at dizzying speeds, we went far out of the galaxy on Star Tours, and at Minnie Mouse's House we could actually sit on her couch and stand in her kitchen! The best thing by far, though, was when I got to meet the most famous person I knew--Mickey Mouse. In the flesh (or in the fur)! He was standing there wearing his bright red shorts and yellow shoes and a happy grin, and he even gave me a great big hug. Nothing--nothing--compared to the elation of meeting Mickey Mouse in real life.
That was my first Disney experience. Everything was giant, everything was magical, and everything called me away to a land of fantasy and delight. It was only my own experience, though. Everyone else saw it differently. My brother, two years younger and just learning to read, was not scared in the Haunted Mansion because he only looked for words like EXIT so he could show us his skills. However, he was too frightened to ride on the Matterhorn roller coaster, towering a little too high above him in the sky.
My parents also had different thoughts about the magic of Disneyland. The magic was still there, but to an adult it was in different places. The Electric Parade was a fantastic combination of technology and artistry; Star Tours was a feat of the sense--how video, audio, and movement could work together so as to make it feel like you're actually flying; and the roller coasters--well, you just can't beat the adrenaline rush that comes from going really, really fast. But Minnie's House was just an adorable collection of pink plastic, and Sleeping Beauty's Castle was just a diorama of Barbie dolls dressed up like princesses. And as for Mickey and all the other characters jovially walking about--well, they were just people wearing colorful costumes. Being there as parents, they could more easily see Disneyland through the enraptured eyes of a child. But that did not cancel out the waiting in long lines or paying too much for a Disney hot dog.
Just as there is a gap between the experience of playing soccer and watching from the sidelines, there is also a great difference in the way a child sees the world and how an adult views the very same things. It was my lack of worldly experience that allowed me to be overwhelmed by meeting Mickey Mouse face-to-face. Though in the back of my mind I might have known him to be a little different from the one I had seen in cartoons, he looked like Mickey and he was larger than life, and that was all that mattered. As I've grown older, I have learned more and more of how the world works--and how it doesn't work. With learning, I have--perhaps without realizing--entered Adulthood and taken on appropriate responsibilities. Thus, in welcoming experience and responsibility, we gradually lose some of our childhood. We regrettably bid farewell the enraptured innocence of youth.