My entire family (minus one brother-in-law that we missed!) went to Disneyland last week and hot diggity dog, did we have a good time! The kids in our family were given tickets to the happiest place on earth for Christmas – something we decided to do as parents months ago – so finally arriving all together on Main Street USA was amazing. Our big kids are big and are little kids aren’t too little, so all of the tween and teen cousins took off on their own to play for good chunks of time, and our babies were able to ride so many of the rides — this visit felt big! It was all so much fun.
Rather than a traditional recap of the fun, I thought I’d write out some of life’s gold nuggets that Disney handed me this trip – just four, solid life principles that make us happy when we follow them.
For starters…
Parents are powerful tone-setters.
I was reminded of the impact of a parent’s attitude on their kid’s attitude when my cute mom and dad were hyped to be there. They were at-ease and excited, and like magic, their actions and emotions impacted mine. There is actually a psychological term for this magic – mirror neurons! – and yes they are exactly as they sound. They’re neurons that connect and then impact behavior because of what you see someone else do. Our kids act and react like because of how we act and react! I think that’s so cool. And so encouraging. Parents have so much power to set good tones.
Choose to be happy right now.
The long lines are the thorn to Disneyland’s rose — until they’re not! Those lines actually offer potent quality time with our people (line time is fun!), but then they teach such an important life lesson: create your contentedness and happiness in the middle of something hard versus waiting to be happy when your circumstances change. When you begrudgingly endure a line at Disneyland, that line is much longer and harder than it is when you simply 1) accept the circumstance for what it is, and then you 2) make choices that make your experience in the line amazing (like playing charades on someone’s phone – oh it’s so much fun). Choosing to be as happy right now – as you happy as you would be if you had what you needed or wanted – creates deep happiness. And almost like magic – I’ve experienced this! – when we make that deep choice to be happy right now, despite odds, that’s when the doors suddenly open and we get what we want. Our choices to create our happiness now make that magic happen!
Notice effort + see the good.
The creative details around Disneyland blow my mind and they’re everywhere, if you’ll just take a second to see them. Stained glass window panes, curated sconces, mosaic tile floors — the thought and effort made by individuals to make Disneyland beautiful is magnificent to me. I wish I could thank the person who carved the lintel below, for example, for creating that sweet homage to California. I would love for that artist to feel seen and to be told that their effort inspired me (I died over that hive)! Ultimately, it makes me think of noticing our people and their efforts – our kids, especially. I felt inspired to see my babies and what they’re doing that is so good, too. The details of their actions can be so overlooked, but they shouldn’t be! I just need to look up…
And down!
And over to the side, seeing what my people are doing in the details of their lives. Notice and acknowledge effort. It is so fun to see.
Make your experience about someone else’s experience.
Grown-up Jeni could go to Disneyland for herself or with her grown-up friends in a second (I’ve done that, actually! Disneyland is a great girls trip), but is there anything better than being at Disneyland with a wide-eyed toddler? No! Sweet babies at Disneyland are not like you at Disneyland, and when you put what you want aside (a million rides on Guardians) for what they want (a morning spent in Fantasy Land), voila! You feel so happy. There is magic in thinking of others over yourself. I’m a huge believer in self-care in every form, but I think we’ve forgotten about the legitimate joy that comes from pushing our wants to the side, and sliding someone else’s needs there instead. “How can I make this about you?” versus “How is this serving me?” is powerful thinking that, when acted on, gives unmatched happiness.
Thanks, good ol’ Disneyland, for it all!! The life lessons, the memories, the FUN. We can’t wait till next time!
TTFN. Ta ta for now.
PS, Duke met his best friend, Woody (the look in his eyes!), and YES, it was one of the best days of all of our lives!
