The Most Magical/Happiest Age on Earth

Sacre bleu!  Ed Kinon, you just had another big birthday!  At the end of March, you turned 70 years old!  You’re already starting that seventh decade now!

What did you do to celebrate?

In early April, me, my wife Sharon, my sister Arvida, and my nephew Robert, we all just went to Walt Disney World, the Most Magical Place on Earth, and with current events being what they are, where else would we go to properly celebrate?

It’s funny now to think back on it but I have a long lineage visiting Disneyland, the Happiest Place on Earth.  However, I have never been to Walt Disney World until now.

In a sense, Disney Parks have always provided an enchanting place to spark new adventures throughout my life — the wonder, the energy, the rides, the magic, and those lasting memories.  The future has always been extremely inviting inside Disney Parks.

Listen to these lyrics, in part, to the Jasmine and Aladdin song while on a magical carpet ride. This song sounds a lot like Disney’s master mission statement:

MY HISTORY WITH DISNEY PARK ADVENTURES

Childhood at Disneyland — Mostly, growing up in Los Angeles our family repeatedly visited major attractions there such as the Farmer’s Market, Knott’s Berry Farm, the Rose Bowl Parade, and, of course, Disneyland when e-tickets were all the rage!  Actually, Disneyland itself celebrates its own 70th Birthday later this year too!

High School Graduation Night at Disneyland — The big party on high School graduation night was going to Disneyland!  After all the commencement activities most of us jumped on school buses for a ride to Disneyland.  We were there from 10 PM to 6 AM the next morning.  The parking lot was a sea of yellow school buses.

Of all the high school students graduating in the country, how many got to celebrate at a Disney Park?

Riding to Disneyland that night the music was loud, we were loud, it was going to be the last night with our high school buddies — we went wild!  However, somewhere around 4 AM as a group we all started slowing down more and more.  When we finally jumped back on the bus to go back home the music still played loudly but we got quieter and quieter.  As I remember, as a group, we stepped off that yellow bus into full adulthood rather spent.

College Getaway at Disneyland — While a student at Arizona State University a handful of friends buzzed over to Los Angeles for a fun weekend.  When we arrived at Disneyland, we were told a corporation had reserved the park that evening for their company party.  As fast-talking college kids, one of us quickly said, “Ahh, we work for that company!”

They let us in.

The crowd that evening was quite small.  There was practically no wait for rides.  Towards the end of the evening, we jumped on board the It’s a Small World Ride.  For those not familiar with the ride, it’s a boat ride around a track with mechanical international dressed characters all singing one song, “It’s a small world after all.”

Due to the small crowd size that evening every other boat was left empty around the ride.

At one point I suggested it would be fun to step out on the upcoming ledge so we can get in the empty boat right behind us so we can have a boat all to ourselves!  I grabbed my friend Jenny’s purse straps as I stood up.  We had a true Hollywood movie moment together as we made eye contact, tugged against each other with the purse straps as I said, “Join me!”

As I was stepping out of the boat, Jenny simply let go of her purse.

So, there I was standing on a ledge on the ride holding Jenny’s purse.  Most everyone in my orginal boat had turned around to stare at me.  Although at the next opportunity my friends and a couple of others stepped out on another ledge, then joined me in my empty boat.  Suddenly, we were all singing the song and feeling very happy to be in our own boat all to ourselves!

At the end of the ride the boats were pulled out of the water for the boarding/unloading area but that night something was wrong and boats began to stack up not able to climb the ramp out of the ride.  I announced that I had read somewhere it was a $10,000 fine if anyone breaks a ride at Disneyland.  I also said I wasn’t going to get caught as I jumped back into our original boat.

Immediately, a muffled voice on a loudspeaker said, “Please remain seated in your boat!”

Very quickly, the ride started again, and all the boats left the ride safely.  My friends and I thought we were in big, big trouble but it was a skeleton crew, so we were not in any trouble at all.  We just laughed and giggled the night away!

Just Before Covid Arrived at Disneyland — Five years ago myself, Sharon, Arvida and Robert were at Disneyland for a long weekend celebrating Robert’s 40th birthday about a month before Covid hit. Adventures again all around as we announced that this new Covid thing couldn’t possibly find us at Disneyland!

ADVENTURES ALIGN US

For me, the four seasons — spring, summer, fall (or autumn), and winter — waffle in-between watercolor moments, and pastel moments.

In the spring when leaves and flowers return it seems so fragile, sketchy translucent colors, and fleeting like a watercolor painting.  Later in Summer, the colors are all rich, deep, established for pastel moment paintings. Still later in the Fall, the leaves turn vivid colors and start blowing away, which brings back more watercolor ephemeral moments, and in the dead of Winter the imagery turns stark, bold, rich and deep again for those pastel moment paintings.

When adventures begin, they start straight away.  They are seductive, bewildering, intense, enchanting, fleeting, and mysterious.

Like wandering into a new country for the first time, discovering a new author, a new band, a new leader, a new scientific discovery, or a new way of eating, the adventure begins so fast that there is no time to slow down to identify all the details.  Very much like impressionist watercolor paintings, wouldn’t you say?

Adventures at Disney Parks start just as fast and they test everyone’s balance.  While there, we shuffle politely in crowds and queues, we spin around on rides, we travel both through time and throughout the park’s ever present abundance, we lean outward as we surrender to speedy centrifugal forces, we climb and climb only to fall much faster even as we hold our hands above our heads, we can float about for days both while eating, drinking, and trying even more rides.

Mostly though we reacquire that keen skill of leaning correctly into our immediate future again because we just practiced that nimble move over and over on almost any ride.  This is what each and every new adventure that we ever try brings us.  Better balance once again for whatever the future brings.

Disney Parks have always magically nudged and jostled me forward towards fresh, new adventures:

• Early on, it was all about clean, colorful, tame adventures and rides.
• As a teenager, it was an energetic backdrop during growing friendships or possible romances.
• In college, it was a wonderful playground to test our willingness to take chances. In hindsight, it was a rather safe testing facility, which generated more positive results than failures, and all those adventures were extremely memorable.
• Now after repeated visits as an adult it offers even more astounding new adventures, and poignant reminders that magical moments await each of us who explore.

Spending more time there again feels like viewing and gazing inside a colorful, massive crystal ball where I can see myself back in time, I can see others with fresh adventures, and I see a growing buoyancy for everyone’s adventures that often escape me outside in the real world.

MERRY-GO-ROUND ENVY

Work responsibilities can often feel like an never ending merry-go-round with endless new activities, deadlines, meetings, and those incessant communications from managers not wanting anyone falling off the company’s merry-go-round.

Most active vacations are a different merry-go-round with endless sightseeing, new eating and drinking extravaganzas, transportation adventures, or ultimate attendance to bucket list museums, shows, or natural wonders.

This time at Walt Disney World during meals, near rides, at shows, in stores, I witnessed both teenagers and adults constantly sneak peeking at their phones.  They could have been quickly altering their scheduling for more upcoming rides, but I suspect they were basically monitoring their merry-go-rounds back home.

Who missed a meeting?  What new deadline has arrived?  What happened at school?

I also suspect when all those sneaking a peek phone viewers get back home, they will longingly be sneaking more peeks at other vacation opportunities.

As I have gotten older, my approach is to pay way more attention to where you are.  Notice more, talk to more strangers, take more photos, linger more.  Don’t be in a hurry just to be somewhere else.  Let go of home more inorder to enjoy being away way more.  Undoubtably, home will still be there when you return.

ANNUAL BIRTHDAY PLUNGE

Each birthday begins a new plunge into a new year.  Occasionally, it could even be an extra refreshing plunge into a new decade too.

Not unlike the old Nestea Plunge Commercials that showed people falling backward into a swimming pool to symbolize the refreshing sensation of tasting their tea, each birthday is a moment to recalibrate and identify what new adventures will be discovered in another new year

Disney Parks jump started a good collection of adventures for me but, in time, I discovered other sources for my ambitious adventures using developing communication skills, art, photography, books, movies, music, politics, science, and travel.  Inadvertently or not, Disney has imprinted me with a positive sense of unlimited possibilities consequently Sharon and I have constantly ventured out nearly every weekend and annually to take vacations.  We have already been to Europe six times with another 2-week adventure scheduled over there this Fall, we’ve been to Mexico two times, Canada five times, and all-around America too.

Although Disney Parks keep charging more and more and more for admission, they keep sharing more and more and more unlimited possibilities so it’s rather hard to stay away for very long.

This time, Disney increased its own efficiency to bring us fanciful new adventures by having us use magical wrist bands, meal tickets, restaurant reservations, and lighting passes.  We just waved our arms for instant snacks, lunches, sit down dinners, rides that we wanted to try, and when we returned to our hotel room, we waved our arms frantically back and forth while pleading, “For the love of God, open door open so we can lay down again!”

On this visit to Walt Disney World, we had everything in our favor, the weather, the resort, the rides were active and available to us.  Those remarkable shows, meals, snacks, and new adventures were all very memorable again!  We had lunch at the Brown Derby, we had dinner one night orbiting Earth, on another night for dinner we sat in little cars at a drive-in movie, and on still another evening we jumped on a pontoon boat to enjoy the fading light on a lake and the 18-minute fireworks show high above the Magic Kingdom. Breathtaking!

Deux fois sacre bleu!  After visiting the immense size, scale, and fanciful pleasures of Walt Disney World for the first time, I have decided that the Most Magical/Happiest Age on Earth for each of us can be any age.  All you need are some fresh adventures.

The dictionary says that “an adventure is generally considered an exciting or remarkable experience, often involving some degree of risk, uncertainty, or the exploration of new territory or experiences.”

Back in the day it was necessary to leave home for any adventure even if it was an evening out for a theater production or two.  But then paintings arrived, followed by books, recordings, movies, radio, TV, streaming services, video games.  Many options are now digital or virtual so there are plenty of adventures in the privacy of your own home.   

However, my definition of any true adventure has always included extra nudging and jostling.

Disney Parks are very good at jostling its visitors.  It’s always invigorating to be lost a little again, bewildered a little again, and enchanted once again, so even at 70 years old, after having another great adventure I am truly at the Most Magical/Happiest Age on Earth.  Again!