• Doing Disney in the cold.

    Well, we went back. I have just one thing to say about this trip. Oh yeah, don’t you wish.
    Actually, I enjoyed this trip as much as any other trip to the Orlando area. It began with a reunion with a friend from high school and college. I had thought about the possibility of meeting ever since we got our seasonal passes to Disney delight, but I hadn’t done anything beyond thinking about it until a couple of weeks ago. Cheryl had been planning this particular trip for a couple of months now and I had been looking forward to the opportunity to stay on the Disney property. Hey, what the heck, I hadn’t stayed on the property before and I was game for a new experience. Anyway, I was daydreaming about my upcoming trip when it occurred to me that I could put the two together. After trading messages for a week, we met at Epcot on the day of our arrival. The meeting was everything I hoped it would be. We reminisced and we caught up. The only problem was it was too short. As night fell on that first day the temperature dropped considerably. It didn’t climb significantly for the entire trip. And do you know what? It was great. A blast of extremely cold weather (for Florida) was just what I needed. No matter how long we spent at the park, I had a spring in my step. Beth kept right on going until she just about fell unconscious in her tracks each night. Each day we hopped from park to park, hitting the attractions that we had missed on prior trips. The first two days we ended up at Epcot for dinner, and we went all out. As a child, meals at an amusement park consisted of hot dogs, hamburgers and pizza. This time we ate at the fancy restaurants, and it was very good. And oh was it expensive. Now I know why we ate hot dogs, hamburgers, and pizza as kids. Having done it, I have no regrets. It was a great trip.

  • This is my life.

    Who among us feels safe revealing ourselves to others? My guess is, not many. Why then do I feel so uninhibited in that regard? Is it odd? First, I would like to clear one thing up: I’m not talking about revealing myself in a physical sense. Some metaphors should never be encouraged, especially those that may give the wrong idea. I would no sooner physically reveal myself in public than soak my hair in acetone and put a match to it. And just to be absolutely clear, I am neither a masochist nor pyromaniac. No, I’m taking about something that is perhaps even more intimate: revealing who I am and what I think. It seems like many people go around denying who they are to themselves, meanwhile I’m telling everyone I talk to. Pity the person who asks me “how are you doing?” at work. What was probably meant as a casual greeting is met with way more honesty than many can deal with on a Monday morning. I saddle my coworkers with any and every issue in my life, and I do it without shame. It’s not just my coworkers, I don’t know why I’m singling them out. It’s everyone I have more than a passing acquaintance with. I get this sense that I’m giving way more information than they wanted, but then I go on anyway. Do you know what the irony of all this is? I don’t consider myself an outgoing person. I meet new acquaintances with anxiety, with an unhealthy need to impress. Is my self esteem really that low? And here I am, pouring this out for anyone to read. Not that there is much danger that I will suffer to much exposure here. Anyway, here I am, wrapped up nice and warm in my own contradictions. I tell myself that I don’t really care what you think, but the reality is that I probably care a little too much.

    . . . or have I typed all of this just because I like the rhythm of my fingers dancing on the keyboard?

  • Giving joy with the unexpected

    I consider it a natural law of the human experience; we tend to find more joy in the unexpected moments than in those that are more routine.

    If there is anything that makes me feel like a failure as a parent, it is that neither myself nor my wife has more time to spend with Beth in her school related activities. Both of us work, so we are not often available to strike out with her class on many of their adventures in learning. One day this week I was allowed to make amends. Beth’s class was going to visit “Safety Village” and I was able to tag along. Being the only daddy was some cause for concern. I am loath to draw attention to myself amongst strangers, and nothing draws attention like being unique. The unending chorus of: “ah, it’s so sweet Beth’s daddy could come along,” kept an invisible bullseye on my soul for the whole afternoon.

    So there I was, walking into Beth’s classroom one day this week, one of the parent chaperones for the trip. I immediately scanned the room for Beth. I saw her first. She was sitting “in circle,” with her back turned to me. Her teacher was handing out name tags, and each student was dismissed from circle only after they had received their tag. Beth’s turn came and as she turned to leave the circle she faced me. She stopped in mid step, initially somewhat confused to see something that did not belong – me. Suddenly, I saw the memory of our morning conversation appear as a grin creased her face from ear to ear. I cringed a little as she momentarily forgot proper classroom protocol and ran to me for a big hug.

    It’s disappointing that I can’t be there for more of her class activities, but it made this morning that much more special.