My family is obsessed
with Disney World. I don’t mean we like
to go there and we’ve been a few times.
I mean we get to the parks at 6:30am before it gets light, we know
exactly when the “180 days before our trip” mark is so we can make dining
reservations, and my sister’s life goal is to become an Imagineer so she can
design rides. As a result, we have many
of the rides memorized and often use phrases from them in our regular
conversations. Yes, we are complete
Disney nerds.
On one
occasion in particular, we took this ability to quote rides a little too far
and ended up laughing uncontrollably. My
mom had said the innocent phrase, “hello there” as she walked in the door. This happens to be the opening line spoken by
a dinosaur hand puppet in the intro video of one of our favorite rides at
Animal Kingdom. Saying this one simple thing led to a long chain of increasingly
obscure Disney ride quotes and the sharing of many memories from our numerous Disney
World trips. We remembered various
experiences with characters, the many times that rides have broken down or been
temporarily stopped with us on them, and all of the crazy and amazing things we’ve
been able to do while at Disney. By the
end of the conversation, none of us could control our laughter.
Moments
like this one have a positive affect on my life in that they remind me about
the importance of laughter in family bonding.
Especially as my sister and I grow older and spend much of the year away
at school instead of with each other, connections like this one become more and
more critical to remaining as close to one another as we were when we were
younger. Friends and other people in our
lives come and go as we move to new places, graduate from schools, or take new
jobs, but family is a constant. Family
members are the people one can rely on regardless of his or her current
situation. Through laughter, ties to
family can be strengthened and provide meaningful memories during the often
limited time we have together. Having
unique ways of laughing with family that cannot be shared with anyone else,
such as my family’s habit of quoting Disney rides, brings us together in a
special and personal way.
Kelsey, l enjoyed your story about Disney World and I can relate to how important laughter is within a family. When my family travels together, we usually all have one big fight. Either my dad gets us lost, my younger brother cannot stop annoying us, or we all cannot deal with living in close hotel quarters. However, I also find that it is laughter that allows us to forgive one another. An inside joke or someone making a silly mistake relieves tension and reminds us that life and travel are not about the perfect moments that stress us out, but are about finding the goofy moments that bring us together. My family thrives off laughter with one another and these are the kinds of incidences I remember when I miss home and my ridiculous family.
ReplyDeleteKelsey, l enjoyed your story about Disney World and I can relate to how important laughter is within a family. When my family travels together, we usually all have one big fight. Either my dad gets us lost, my younger brother cannot stop annoying us, or we all cannot deal with living in close hotel quarters. However, I also find that it is laughter that allows us to forgive one another. An inside joke or someone making a silly mistake relieves tension and reminds us that life and travel are not about the perfect moments that stress us out, but are about finding the goofy moments that bring us together. My family thrives off laughter with one another and these are the kinds of incidences I remember when I miss home and my ridiculous family.
ReplyDeleteThis is awesome! I think this is a great example of how groups of people can use laughter to bond with one another in a meaningful way. Y'all laughing showed to each member of your family how important your previous trips to Disney have been, and it was used to show each person's approval through clever references. I love Disney too. I used to want to be an Imagineer back when I was into physics, but I was never near as dedicated as your family. If you ever get the chance to go to the Disney in Paris, do so. It is pretty sweet.
ReplyDeleteKelsey, this story really resonates with me. I took a trip with my best friends from high school to Disney World and Universal Studios. Even though this trip was four years ago, I still feel like I can immerse myself back into those memories instantly. Throughout the whole trip, our days were filled with laughter. I agree that laughing really does bring people closer together and creates memories that we never forget!
ReplyDeleteWonderful post on family and laughter. Shared moments of deep laughter can indeed last a lifetime.
ReplyDeleteKelsey, I absolutely loved reading about your passion for Disney World and the tie it shares with your family. I completely agree and can honestly say that Disney World might be my all-time favorite place! Reflecting on my childhood, I can remember countless times that the characters, rollercoasters, shows, or moments led to laughter or forever memories. I loved reading about the bond your family shares over such a magical place. It is so special to think that regardless of your future paths, you will always have a major bond shared between you and your sister. I would love to hear all about your sister's future plans for a Disney ride. I cannot deny the fact that I've drawn and outlined a few dream rollercoasters back in the day. What a fun job she will have!
ReplyDelete