Mini-van packed stem to stern…Kids, drowsy with thrill overload, and clutching bear, light saber, and Simba, bought with this years souvenir savings…Driving home through the desert…Our sunny California adventure at our backs…
I’m full of the “end of holiday” feelings I always experience during the “it’s time to go home” part any adventure. Here I sit in the middle seat with sunshine all around feeling like there’s a little gray cloud hanging over my head. I believe it’s a sign that I’ve got work to do at home. Not laundry/dishes type work, although I guess that will have to be done too. I’m talking about the work that leads to being more happy, joyous and free outside the theme park, in any given situation, the work of focused, willing, deliberate, eager participation in life as it comes. I don’t have this concept down yet, not down deep where it needs to be.
Wednesday night, as we exited the Magic Kingdom, Ethan put my resistance to going home and facing real life into words. “I love Disneyland! You don’t have to do any chores. Just have fun!”
“That’s great!” I thought. “I think like a seven year old when it comes to the work of real life.”
“So Nannette,” interrupted that Spirit whose full time job is helping me keep my thinking in good shape. With a twinkle in His eye, I’m sure, He said, “Let’s talk about theme park fun…Last week before you came on this family adventure you were hustling to take care of your everyday work and get ready for your trip too! Things were pretty crazy. You commented to your sister, ‘It will just feel good to get off the Merry-Go-Round for a while.’ When did the Merry-Go-Round get such a bad wrap? You’ve been on it numerous times this week and each time wished you could stay for another round with the one to four year olds. You like the Merry-Go-Round Nannette. You also like moving really fast, the anticipation of the uphill climb, the thrill of not being able to see where the track goes next, being jerked around, being challenged, surprised, and yes, even terrorized. You even like coming off a ride and being told, ‘Mom, you are all wet!’ Nannette, you’ve got all this and more at home. You’re just leaving one adventure and heading for another.”
As we walked round Disneyland, having paid the admission and checked in at the front gate, we were able to zip onto any ride we pleased. I told my kids and their kids that “when I was a little girl” (that phrase makes me feel really old) the tickets to Disneyland were handled a bit differently. Before you entered the gate the parents decided what they could afford and then they purchased a book of tickets. In the book were coupons for A B C D and E rides. All rides were rated and the choices were listed on the coupon. The “best rides” were the E’s. The more you paid the more E coupons you got.
I think what the Spirit was trying to say was,” Nannette, real life is an endless coupon book full of E tickets. So why be afraid to go home? Why resist doing real life? If you have a taste for family fun, exciting heights, moving fast, and the thrill of not knowing what’s around the next corner, then Real Life is the ride for you.
I share this little interchange with you all so that if you ever catch me unawares, standing in my kitchen trying to do twelve things at once with my roller coaster arms and hands high in the air and a high pitched, very loud scream exiting my vocal chords you’ll know I’m just having a good old “E Coupon” time of my life!!!!
By Nannette W.
Posted Sunday, September 28, 2008
Copyright 2008 by Nannette W. All right reserved.
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