My Disney Family - A Perspective

I have been meaning to write this blog post for quite some time, but just haven't been able to find enough quiet time to fully devote to it. I knew it was going to take me a very long time to write it, and I wanted to really be able to concentrate on what I was going to say.

I remember the day I started my blog (MyDisneyBlog.com). It was just a couple short years ago. I was such a huge fan of the Disney bloggers that had already waded into the territory before me, and I thought to myself "what on earth am I doing considering writing a blog with the likes of these guys". Nonetheless, with no clear premise of where I was going with the blog, and no idea what I had to offer, I started writing. I remember that it was a lot of work, but it truly never felt like work to me. It was so cathartic, and allowed me to get all my thoughts down on paper. As a TRUE Disney fan, you likely annoy non-Disney people with all the talk about Disney, so this gave me a chance to get my thoughts down without annoying my family and friends all day. My wife truly LOVES Disney, but honestly, she didn't want to talk about it all day :)

Well, at first, it got to be a little bit lonely, as I really didn't have any readers. But, after a while, a funny thing happened - people started to email me and post comments below some of my blog posts. I was THRILLED at the chance to talk to other Disney fans and bloggers! Armed with this new self-confidence, I nervously reached out to those Disney bloggers who had paved the trail before me. Some of them included John Frost, of the AMAZING TheDisneyBlog.com, George and Andy at Imaginerding.com, Ray at Grumpy's Hollow, and Dave at Daveland. I honestly thought there was no way these guys were going to talk to me. I thought maybe they would think I was trying to infringe on their blogs, or that I was just another new blogger that wanted something. Well, fortunately, nothing could be further from the truth! The response from these folks was unbelievable. They were kind, they tried to help me get my blog going, and had lots of suggestions. I will never forget the help that these bloggers gave me, as well as many other bloggers.

I found that I'm kind of a 'periodic' blogger. I go through periods of time where I need a break, but then I have this overwhelming desire to get going again. I guess this isn't all that uncommon, but usually people are more constant with their writing.

Well, earlier this year, I received about 3 email messages from my readers telling me I HAD to get on twitter. What was this 'twitter' everyone was speaking of! :) I took a look at it and quickly concluded that it wasn't for me in the least. Nonetheless, I signed up for it, and just started playing around. Well, nearly 9000 tweets later, I guess you could say that I did conclude it was for me! I love so much about the act of blogging, and I also love the instant feedback and conversation that is created by twitter. I have more than 5500 friends on twitter as of this writing, and I am thankful each day for each one of these friends. I feel out of sorts if I don't start and end my day talking to some of my new friends on twitter.

This "little world" - the twitterverse, as some call it - makes me so unbelievably happy. I thank my lucky stars each day for the wonderful people I have come to know on twitter and through my blog. I truly don't know anyone that I really don't want to spend some time getting to know. The rest of the world, outside of twitter, really doesn't understand the bonds that can be created through this social networking site. When I talk about a friend of mine on twitter, they nearly always say "yeah, right - how can you have a friend that you've never met." I usually go about trying to defend how they are my friends, and I tried to think about why I can safely call the people I talk to on twitter "my friends".

"My Friends" are the people that checked in with me several days a week while I was preparing for gallbladder surgery. They took the time out of their day to make sure I was doing well, and then freaked out if they didn't hear from me after a day. They waited nervously while I had my surgery, and even talked to each other while I was having my surgery. These same people wished me Happy Birthday by the HUNDREDS on my 40th birthday this year. "My Friends" went along with me on my recent trip to Hawaii, totally living vicariously through my experiences, and honestly happy as can be that I was enjoying myself. They couldn't wait to hear more about it, and frankly, I couldn't wait to tell them about it. It wasn't bragging in any way - it was sharing my life experiences with people who I've come to know. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't have a good laugh at something said by my friends on twitter and through my blog, and that's a pretty good thing if you ask me :)

While that was amazing, I also started to think of WHY we became "friends". I thought long and hard about it, and I realized that what we have goes very, very deep. These are the same friends that smile with the excitement of a 5 year old child each time they see Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty Castle. If anyone could capture the look on all of our faces, I'm pretty darn sure it would be the same. These are also the friends that take pride in noticing the smallest of changes in the parks, or something special done by one of the amazing cast members of the Disney Parks. "My Friends" are also the same people who try so hard, but can't seem to not shed a tear on the last night in the parks - male or female. I've now been to the parks several times, and it never fails to amaze me that it becomes more and more special each time we go. We are all so similar in this regard, and this is why I can safely call my Disney Friends "My Friends".

This is what Walt Disney set out to create when he set his plans in motion for Disneyland.

I know that every family experiences some tension, and inevitably - there are disagreements in each family or group of friends. A couple weeks ago, two dear friends had a falling out on twitter. It truly is breaking my heart, as I know that there is this major common bond between them, and a golden thread that can be pulled, but never cut attaching them. This golden thread is the spirit that Walt Disney created, and it continues within each one of us to this day. As Disney fans, we really need to be able to let things like this go, and start to talk to each other again with the spirit of Walt Disney. I guess we have to ask ourselves what Walt would say to us, and I'm sure he would sit down in a calm manner, and just start talking. I truly believe that all disputes between two people can be talked out, and it will also set the mind at ease and unburden your hearts by working it out.

Anyway, I know this was a rambling story, but it was something I really needed to say for quite some time now. To those that say we're not "true friends" or not some kind of family - I say "you're wrong". I truly feel blessed to have each of you in my life, and look forward to many more happy times in the future. Thanks so much for being "My Disney Family"

--- Disney Dean

photo from wikipedia.org