From a grow'ed up kid, silly attempt at a time capsule
Writing this all out before the euphoria fades away, as it often does in my case. Which I will not allow to happen this time, because this is a precious moment, and very close to a life-changing one, where I tell the rest of the world to go away, no matter what anyone says I simply cannot and do not feel the need to "grow up" and be sucked into the smelly depth of the cesspool of life. Not as long as I have Disneyland, okay?
So, I had a crowd control shift for World of Colors in California's Adventure today from 6 to 12.15 am, horrendous working hours as always. Crowd control at that; meaning, ushering and herding people into their assigned sections in attempt to deliver a successful showcase that hopefully would please everyone. Of course when dealing with a large group of tired, impatient, mob-mentality crowd, there are ten-out-of-ten-times the black sheep who question everything, "Why can't we go up there?" "Oh, that's the section for people with different tickets." "What's the difference?" "Well they bought the preferred tickets-" "They bought tickets?" "well no they bought the meal packet-" yadiyadiyada. At the end of the day folks sit down where they're supposed to sit after countless dirty looks at the cast members who can't seem to understand their special case; regardless, everybody settles down for the show that's starting.
Now I've heard good things and maybe one bad about World of Colors. Of course being a retail sale clerk I have to say things like, "I want to see it!" "I'm excited for it!" to guests, to hype things up, home team pimping, ya know the usual. What I didn't expect was how those statements turned out to be true as the first column of water shoots up and the lights dance and the music starts; I forget all about mocking guests and rowdy children. The experience is entirely magical, all around. The sound, the visual, the technology, the effort and time, all the imagination put forth into this show, I can't even fathom. All I know is for 27 minutes I'm on a sort of euphoric high that brings me all the way back to my first Disney memories, all the songs that I know and wasn't aware I loved so much until then when I start tearing up as Ariel sings Part of your world.
Everything is a homage to their great father Mr. Walt Disney, who from this moment on is officially my favorite person (bested only by Hammy Hamilton), who, really, was an eternal child. His dreams and visions were so grand and span no limit that they inspire people of every generation, and how so? By striking us all at our heart of youth, our simple childish minds, our simpleton wish for a happy ending faerie tale. As I watch World of Colors and the entranced people, I thank Walt Disney repeatedly. For being the closest to an example of pure fake-it-til-you-make it effort and determination. Even if he couldn't live to see his visions spring into reality, he did dream the future. He showed me that impossibility is a fancy big word people make up so they can be devil advocates; it holds no meaning whatsoever as long as I can still imagine, still think of all I can do/make/create as long as I can see it in my mind.
And thank Phil I do have a cluttered mind full of shenanigans to be pulled off. The only reason they're not taking shapes in RL is due to my procrastinating, my blaming the environment, the circumstances. I forgot that precious thing called the starter's enthusiasm, that exhilaration I feel when a cool idea pops into my brain. It's something close to a miracle how witnessing human effort in forms of dancing water, jumping light and booming music can re-ignite that dimming spark of excitement. In that I'm glad I never gave up on clinging on to the hope that I can pick up Arts again. Now I KNOW I can pick up Arts, pick up sewing, pick up whatever I want as long as I want to.
Some people take Disney for granted. Some people say Disney is brainwashing their children. Others claim Disney is a big fluffy bubble that attempts to romanticize anything it can get its hands on. I say Phil blesses Disney and all of its people who try hard to keep a vision burning bright always, thanks for being Disney, that place I can forever fall back on when life and people get me down, the place where magic does happen, where adults are simply grow'ed kids, where innocence is not a facet, and creativity is brimming in every cracks and corners. Thanks for assuring me that doing Arts isn't a dead end, that liking things for their beauty isn't shallow, that making people happy isn't pretentious or fake, but a way of life.
For the first time ever I'm glad I'm working for Disney. I won't be content with the present situation, I want to be one of those people who make beauty and dreams tangible to others. I want to create and I want to keep doing it. After tonight, I know I can.
PS - I absolutely, one hundred percent, love Walt Disney. Y'all may now call me a Disney-maniac. It'd be very flattering, even more so than being called a teenybopper fangirl ;Db
PS 2 - If you consider yourself my friend, know that I will drag all of you I can drag to watch World of Colors with me some time soonish. You know who you are. The rest of you, I strongly urge to go and watch this show, to rediscover everything you wanted to do as a child and have forgotten for one reason or another. It's great, it's majestic, it's beautiful. Above all it's an endless source of inspiration for everyone alike.
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