Dad Post #231

So we Disney'ed. It's a verb, right? Like Google (Hey Michael, google 'Magic Kingdom princesses' and tell me who's the hottest) and Facebook (No Megan, sorry Baby, no facebooking until you're 18). For the record, the former is fictitious – or at least I phrased it differently – but the latter is real and true and on a stone tablet somewhere at home, or it should be. Disney was great fun. We rode rides and saw shows. We shopped and ate with reckless abandon. We swashbuckled with Jack Sparrow and did stunts with Indiana Jones. The Little Mermaid is, indeed, a pretty princess, and I nearly barfed aboard a Starspeeder, zipping – as instantly recognized by Michael – through Tatooine, Naboo, and Hoth. The simulator really tossed us around and I was shaken when we 'landed.' Megan and Papa Mike were unruffled and fine, and Michael wanted to go again. I told Michael he'd make a good rebel pilot, but I'm a Jedi and I don't do that shit; I wear robes and meditate and kick ass with my awesome brain and light saber and this little thing called The Force, baby! Although, once again, I phrased it differently. They have a Starbucks at each of the WDW parks but I refrained; it didn't feel right as there was a refreshing absense of ads everywhere for unrelated brands and products. And yes, I'm so cozy with Disney now I use acronyms; WDW = Walt Disney World in Orlando versus WDL / Disneyland in Anaheim. Bam! At this point, we could veer off into criticism of what seems like an ugly, keep-up-with-the-joneses commercialism all around us, but that is cynical and negative and, frankly, not how I feel about Disney; I respect the man, the mission, and the parks. My parents took me to Disney when I was roughly M 'n' m's age, and I'm grateful. I'm happy to pay it forward. Although, a scrub of financial records would reveal a disproportionate outlay from my parents; they basically covered my second trip to WDW also, but three decades later and this time with my kids. Now I feel inadequate and confused. Oh well, these are feelings as familiar as friends, when it comes to self-critiquing my parenting of M 'n' m. I covered our airfare, at least, which wasn't inconsiderable since I booked it too late. But Grandma Barb and Grandpa Mike took it from there, and dropped a gangsta roll (versus a paltry chip-in here and there from me) to make memories for M 'n' m at Disney. Thank you.

There is a final thing, Disney-related, that I'm extremely grateful for: The parks are big and busy, and I constantly felt a little hand nestled in mine or reaching for it. Yes, I enjoyed two days of closeness with Megan, who is more stingy with affection than Michael. She was my shadow and I was hers, and that, to me, for any length of time, is priceless.