Brilliant … But Bouncy

But Disney World is Real.

Disney World is my favorite place. Everyone is so happy, and the “cast members” trip over themselves making sure we have a nice time.

After eight days of glorious treatment from simple smiles to free desserts, we decided to pick up some sandwiches at the Orlando airport.

There were four kinds of bread: white, rye, multi-grain and ciabatta.

The deli worker looked my direction. I said, “I’ll have a bacon and cheese on ciabatta.” (It was for Shane.)

“We don’t have ciabatta,” she said.

I looked at the menu. Yep, I’d read it correctly. “You don’t?” I queried.

“We have Italian.”

I looked at the menu again. White, rye, multi-grain and ciabatta. “I’ll take Italian,” I said. “And I’d also like a tuna salad on multi-grain, please.”

“We don’t have multi-grain.”

Over her head, I reread the four choices. “So basically,” I said, “you don’t have any of the breads on your menu.”

The deli worker stared blankly. No explanation, no apology. No smile.

“I’ll have Italian,” I said.

We were not in Disney World anymore.

When I repeated the story to Bill a few minutes later, I said we were “back in reality.” My 10-year-old overheard this.

“But Disney World is real,” Shane said.

And he said it with such sweetness, and such conviction, that I am still thinking about it.

He’s right, of course. Disney World is real. It’s a place that can be sensed with all five senses. It’s a solid, huge place just begging to be explored. And in that sense, it is entirely real.

But Walt Disney’s major goal for his parks is that they be magical. With the help of properly trained staff and attention to even the most minute details, Disney World has become a place where people can escape reality – and still be in it.

So why isn’t the world more like Disney World – instead of the other way around?

I wasn’t alive in the 1950’s, but I imagine that people were happier then – less stressed, more friendly, more in touch with neighbors and community. The population of our country has increased by 160 million people since 1955, so there are bound to be more grouchy ones.

But why does everyone have to be so grouchy now? Looking around at the red lights, I see nothing but frowning faces and self-absorption. No one is pleasant.

Why do I have to be so grouchy? I am one of the least pleasant among the drivers on the road. I spend half my time just trying to pass whoever is in front of me. My kids have started talking to their friends about how I drive. That’s how bad it’s gotten.

But I can change that. I can change that one little thing. I can become a more pleasant driver. I can do things to make the world a little bit brighter. I try to teach that to my kids – when I’m not behind the wheel making an idiot of myself. And I can be a little nicer to folks around me, even if I’m hungry, tired or stressed out.

I surround myself with nice people. I have a great family. My husband is possibly the nicest man on the face of the earth – which drives me completely crazy – but I could take a few lessons from him. There’s a lot to be said for the Dale Carnegie books, written back when life was simpler and still pleasant – back when people were nice to each other just because they could be.

As always, the change begins with me.