Disney and the Inner Journey

I have been MIA and really missing my writing.  We were at Disney for the last seven days.  Disney is magical, yet exhausting. It enables one of a kind fantasy experiences yet is relentless on the feet and senses but now the 2012 trip is in the bag.  All that is left is downloading the photos, printing pictures for the official album, unpacking the suitcases and washing clothes.

It has been three years since we last visited Disney and GaGa was with us for that trip.  Prior to that visit, I had embarked on my intentional journey to lose weight which turned into understanding who I really am.  It is hard to measure progress in an inner journey.  My Aha moments tell me that I am evolving but how do you add that up?  A couple of things stood out to me taking the same exact trip three years later.

I didn't worry about things like I did the last time.  I remember wanting to perfectly plan things out.    I wanted to be in line first for the popular rides after acquiring fast passes for the MOST popular. I wanted to tour the parks in the most efficient way possible on the right day.  I wanted the girls to do what they really wanted to do, yet Mallory had no awareness of what was out there and Riley learned what she liked as we went.  And these things are not bad but my thoughts were consumed with them.  I have learned the difference between planning and rolling with it.  Perfection is not a good thing.

There was a tropical storm that caused rained for two of the days for the major portion of the day.  In a past life, I would have melted down over this!  But this time we put on our rain gear and forged on and it did thin the crowd a bit.  And if you have this attitude of rolling with it, the children will follow.  They do really learn from us, not what we say to them but our actions.

And I learn so much from them.

Riley is Miss Efficient (her end of the school year certificate is for being Responsible!)  She kept track of us in very helpful ways noticing things that I missed.   Mallory is "stop and smell the roses."   So many times she would get left behind looking at whatever caught her eye and I would stop to find her and remember to "be in the moment" with her.  As I am learning to love who I am,  I am learning to appreciate them for who they are and try not to change it in ways I don't even realize I'm doing.   They were born to be who they are.   I think I can teach them how to be but they are showing me who I should be.  (Insert Lady GaGa's Born this Way)

We visited the Bippity Boppity Boutique for the second time.  Mallory was down for the whole big package: princess costume, hair, makeup.  Riley said no.  As the time approached I could tell that she might want to do part of the process.  I thought she had outgrown the "princess" part of it, but she still wanted to be pampered - what girl doesn't want to be pampered?  George, bless him, obliges all of his girls in their pampering.  She ended up with a BBB Tshirt and a frilly skirt that went with the hairdo that she really wanted.  She ended up taking off the skirt and voila - who she was meant to be.

The girls with Princess Merida of the upcoming movie "Brave"

We watched the "Wishes" fireworks at Magic Kingdom at 10 p.m. (!)  (something this early to bed, early to rise girl would never want to do because it involved keeping the girls out past their bedtime and leaving the park en masse) but the story included the line, "Always let your conscious be your guide"

Even Walt Disney is in on my inner journey.