I would become so fascinated by these forms of "entertainment" as a child that I would loose track of the reality I lived in for a moment, but I wanted more...
I wanted my reality to be the stories reality....
and the only way I truly saw that was in my dreams...
where I was a pirate searching for treasure for an instance, where I was flying in the heavens, where I was outrunning a massive bolder rock in some ancient ruins, where I was a Jedi using the force to help defeat the evil throughout the universe...
According to the dictionary:
a dream is "a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep."
and I fell asleep for 9 months.....
I lived a dream for 9 months of my life
A dream where I could bounce through the hundred acre woods one day and quit work to join the circus the next. A dream where the "Force" was real and the dark side existed....
some people over analyze this as just a "job", but I saw this as my dream come true. It was something I needed in my life that allowed my childhood that I kept dormant for so many years to come back to life. I was able to bring the adventure out of children and adults a like; whether it be for a video, picture, or memory I was there to fulfill that....
but behind all the "work" we did... there was memories to be captured along the way and like any memory... there was a theme behind it....
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away....
May the fourth be with you .....
From Tuscan Raiders to Storm Troopers and the Catina Band, May 4th 2013 marks a very special day for me as I was able to see the craziest of characters I grew up with as a child come to life interact with me and "screech" at me I suppose....... o_O
But not all of my memories were created outside of work. While at "work", I was able to light up main street on more than one occasion under the electric sky as a canopy holder for the Main Street Electrical Parade
The shift would be difficult while holding the heavy canopy and walking down main street, but what was different about this walk through was that it was my last one for sometime....
and what made it different was appreciating it as if it was my first time walking the streets again where the children and adults alike were clapping and waving to you no matter what you did and after passing town square theatre one last time that's when it hit me....
coming around the bend I'm at the very beginning of main street looking at Cinderellas castle from a far and I said to myself....
this has been my life.... for almost a year I was honored to create magic for everyone....
Outside of the "work" and the parks was a family I created over the last few months of my program that I will always remember and who had a love/hate relationship for my
"EVERYONE ITS GROUP PHOTO TIME"
"take your last minute bathroom break, make up touch ups, check your cash and credit cards, and get on the sofa!!"
When looking back on the memories I realized that ....over a year ago I was accepted into the Disney college program as a
performer..... The first thing that popped into my head was the song
"almost there" from the princess and the frog never in 100 years did I think
my best friend would be from Maldonia. He's taught me a lot about the
world with his dance moves, jokes and mucus but with his help I made
friends that will last a life time.
The DCP will forever be my Evangeline for all the memories I've made over the last 9 months
And it wasn't until recently that I realized one thing..... that the bonds I made here are so much stronger then I ever could have imagined ....
"Ethan can we have a going away party for you"
and "this is your day we'll do whatever you wanna do"
that's when I realized how much I'll truly miss this place... when people genuinely care for you and are willing to go that extra step to help make a memory with you....even if you haven't spoken in weeks, the bond you create is stronger then the stubbornness people may have against one another during a rough period of time.
And even after the months of wear and tear I brought upon my belongings, I couldn't help but thank my shoes, hat and back pack for all the adventures to the parks, work, and shenanigans we had together...
Had it not been for those tough shoes, I wouldn't have made my last days nearly as memorable with photo adventures, paint parties and final farewells....
What exactly is a magical moment? 9 months of working for this company I realized a magical moment is any instance, any moment where someone (not necessarily a cast member) creates a memory that allows another guest to experience a better day, week, or vacation whether it be the mouse himself, or the chef in the back cooking on behalf of someones allergy, or the custodial person who picked up the wrapper so no one would slip. At any moment anyone can receive a magical moment...
and on my last day of work I was able to see the greatest of magical moments ever.... while during the 3 o clock parade prince Naveen was cutting a rug, dancing and singing like he always did.....
until he realized this parade was slightly different... full of graduating CP's he witnessed groups of them together one last time crying with mixed emotions of happiness that they were there and sadness for it was their last time watching it as a CP for the spring of 2013. Moved and stunned by the amount of tassels he saw on route he couldn't help but get choked up......
and when he got on to main street and witnessed all the tears he couldn't help but slightly drop his character..... point to the group of CPs ears to tell them
"congratulations"
and as the muffled "thank you"'s came after wiping their tears Prince Naveen couldn't help but point to himself saying "me" followed by the holding of two fingers for the number 2.
"Me too" he said
and when the CP's starred in "awwwww" of the amazement, the tears followed from both the CPs and Prince Naveen as they all smiled to one another in the closing of the parade for the prince of Maldonia is in fact the last thing you see during the 3 o clock parade......
and as my time has come to wake up from this dream to take care of some unfinished business I know in my heart this isn't the end. The never ending story is full of unwritten chapters and I'm waking up now to continue writing.
This isn't the end for Disney and myself, just.......
"live like there's no midnight"- Cinderella
and on my last day of work I was able to see the greatest of magical moments ever.... while during the 3 o clock parade prince Naveen was cutting a rug, dancing and singing like he always did.....
until he realized this parade was slightly different... full of graduating CP's he witnessed groups of them together one last time crying with mixed emotions of happiness that they were there and sadness for it was their last time watching it as a CP for the spring of 2013. Moved and stunned by the amount of tassels he saw on route he couldn't help but get choked up......
and when he got on to main street and witnessed all the tears he couldn't help but slightly drop his character..... point to the group of CPs ears to tell them
"congratulations"
and as the muffled "thank you"'s came after wiping their tears Prince Naveen couldn't help but point to himself saying "me" followed by the holding of two fingers for the number 2.
"Me too" he said
and when the CP's starred in "awwwww" of the amazement, the tears followed from both the CPs and Prince Naveen as they all smiled to one another in the closing of the parade for the prince of Maldonia is in fact the last thing you see during the 3 o clock parade......
and as my time has come to wake up from this dream to take care of some unfinished business I know in my heart this isn't the end. The never ending story is full of unwritten chapters and I'm waking up now to continue writing.
This isn't the end for Disney and myself, just.......
"live like there's no midnight"- Cinderella
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