Self Discovery

I recently re-invented myself.  Or perhaps I should say that I recently accepted my true self.  Regardless, I realized that I needed to be doing something as a career that would involve my nearly obsessive passion for, and knowledge about, Disney. My dreams of actually working for the mouse had to be morphed a bit, because I live smack dab in the center of the country, just about as far from Main Street U.S.A. as is humanly possible in this country.  It was a bit too long to commute, no matter how desperately I wanted to don the drab and somber clothing of a Haunted Mansion employee so that I could drone, "Move to the dead center of the room, please."  However, despite my dismally Disney-free location, I have finally landed in my Tomorrowland:  I am a travel agent who specializes in Disneyland, Disney World, and the Disney Cruiseline.  (Sometimes I keep thinking I will wake up, drooling on my tattered copy of The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, and I will be told I have to go back to my real job.)

My love affair with Mickey Mouse began when I was very small.  I have loved Mickey, and to a lesser extent, his silly assortment of pals, for as long as I can remember.  I have a huge display case in my home filled with Pez dispensers, ear hats, board games, park tickets, view masters, stuffed animals...the list goes on and on.  You name it, if they made it with  Mickey Mouse on it or made Mickey Mouse OUT of it, I have it.

It follows that someone who loves Mickey as much as I do would have to visit Disneyland.  I can still remember my first visit.  My first sight of that beautiful pink castle had me transfixed.  Every rational thought left my brain and I was changed forever.  A part of my heart would always stay right there, in the Hub, eating a Dole Whip or a Mickey Ice Cream Bar, for the rest of my life.  (Star Trek fans--you've heard of the Borg, right?  Sometimes I think Disney fanatics are like the Borg.  We are a part of a magical collective--one mind, one heart...forever.)

Countless trips to both coasts ensued, and I have dragged my husband, parents, and now my children to my favorite happy place.  We have cruised to Castaway Cay, where even Mickey is on vacation.  We have experienced Disney World at the holidays and have stopped to smell the roses during the International Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot.  I am never more at home, and I am never more free of my worries and stresses, than when I am on a Disney vacation.

Many people have useless knowledge popping around in the folds of their brains.  I, myself, can remember my address from when I was eight years old.  I know what my elementary school P.E. teacher named her baby the year I was in sixth grade.  I remember how to conjugate a few French verbs (merci, M.Piazza!)   I also remember the license plate number from my first car.  Do I actually USE any of this information?  Well, no.  But it's there!

What is terrific, however, is that there is a whole section of my brain devoted completely to my Disney knowledge.  I am certain that that section of gray matter is formed into a hidden Mickey, and that the sound track must be "When you wish upon a star."

I can tell you which resorts have best pool slides.  I can tell you when to buy Park Hopper tickets, and when you should just stick to base.  I can tell you where the hidden Mickeys are and can recommend terrific places to eat in any given park or resort.  If there is a deal to be had, I can help you find it, and if there isn't, I can keep an eye out once you have made your reservation so that any deals that DO come out, are applied to your reservation.  I can rattle on about holiday experiences and tell you what you shouldn't miss no matter what time of year you find yourself in the Happiest Place on Earth.

I love my job.   I'd love to share my Mickey-shaped expertise with you, if you are planning a trip anytime soon.   And in the meantime, I will blather on in this blog about the subject I love most:  anything, everything, and all things DISNEY.   No E-ticket needed, just climb aboard!