disney magic

for a while now, i've felt the need to disappear a bit. haven't been the best in friendships, email, correspondences, blogging, writing anything like that. those more difficult times in our lives do different things to us. for me, it makes me tend toward a hermit lifestyle of sorts (like "sophia" in the salt garden). sometimes it's an inner reclusiveness.

but then too, i do love a little excitement. when the air gets too suffocating in life, some excitement can offer a tad of what's really needed -- hope.

so i've spent the last two days at disneyland and california adventure with my seven year old son. whoohooo for mr. walt disney!

last weekend when i didn't want to get out of bed, i remembered an idea i had a year ago. idea was to take each of my children on a trip, just me and them. the recalling and decision was just the hope to get me up and out of the despair that was dragging at me. that despair really does want to eat us up you know. and i was starting to feel a few things eaten clean off. plus a mom and kid getaway was a really great idea, i thought. a memory with each of my children and just me. something just for us.

didn't plan on such spontaneity. but with school out for a few days, it was perfect, had to be done. disneyland being the easiest trip to plan on a short time frame, my youngest got to go first. so off we went days after making the plan. it took 10 hours to drive to LA with the mudslides causing road delays. and even that didn't put a cloud over us. we've been smiling and laughing and having the kind of time only disney magic can provide. even that southern cali sunshine has warmed our days.

my son is 7 years old, and i was 7 years old last time i visited the magical kingdom. boy, it's sure changed. guess that was 27 years ago, gulp. but interesting too, how one man's vision had changed practically every life on the planet. walt disney had a vision. that vision surely exceeded anyone's imagination. but what joy and laughter and wonder the disney legacy has created.

so i'm in my hotel room. we needed a bit breather before heading back, tonight it's downtown disney. dinner at the rainforest cafe hopefully, some shopping, maybe a disney parade -- the electrical parade last night was wonderful.

tomorrow we'll go back to for a few rides before packing up the car. halfway north, we're taking a little detour to monterey and fisherman's wharf for the sunday night, then on back home. the real life challenges are waiting, they don't disappear when you run away. but maybe some laughter and joy will make it easier. maybe not. but at least my son and i have some pixie dust to carry with us -- some things can't be taken away.

god's blessings and some pixie dust to you, wherever you are today.