The Disney Spirit: Bringing Out the Best in People

The Olympics’ opening ceremony is tonight and I got to thinking how the Olympics and Disney elicit many of the same emotions from me. Kind of a sentimentality for what the world could be if we all, me included, could get our acts together. As a recovering cynic, I think that Disney seems to bring that “we can be better spirit” not unlike the Olympics. We frequently hear about the kindness and magic of castmembers, and they deserve it, Lou Mongello’s WDW Radio Show has named them one of the Seven Wonders of Walt Disney World and I couldn’t say it better myself. What people talk about less frequently is how Disney World brings out the best in many guests as well. Now I know some people are shaking their heads remembering some of the bad behavior that goes on in the parks. My personal favorite was watching someone try to pull Minnie’s knickknacks off the shelves in her house. However, visiting also has a way of bringing out the magic and kindness to strangers that we don’t often see in our everyday lives. Letting a small child stand in front of us during a parade, pointing out a hidden Mickey and making up trivia questions for others a particularly long line or letting a family with a cranky kid get in front of you so they can make the next show when there are only a few spots left. My favorite memory involves one of these kindnesses.

When I was five, my family: Mom, Dad and little sister who was three at the time, baby sister hadn’t been born at that point, took the long drive down to Florida to visit great-grandma and go to “The Magical Disney World.” Our visit to Disney was towards the end of the trip so I remember being antsy, as only little kids can be, through out the trip waiting to “see Mickey”. We spent three wonderful days at the Magic Kingdom, it’s funny I don’t remember this visit very well but I do remember, Epcot was being built but not finished yet. My parents allowed me one souvenir and I picked out this beautiful, blue plastic Mickey visor. You know, the one with the see through blue plastic on the visor part? I remember getting a tee-shirt off property but this was from “the World” and the hat was sharp. I was “psyched.”

On our last day we parked in the parking lot and got on the tram. The tram was practically an attraction in and of itself, these were the older trams with the seats facing the parking lots and everyone was in a celebratory mood heading toward the parks. As we were driving toward the magic, the wind caught my visor and blew it away. I was darn upset. Mom and dad said one souvenir and they meant it. I remember that there were a few tears and “oh wells” and I managed to pull myself together. We all regrouped and headed toward the park. As we were walking down Main Street a man came running up to me...and handed me my visor. He had gotten off the tram, probably while it was moving and retrieved it for me. The plastic part had a crack which he had fixed with a little scotch tape (who carries scotch tape? a helpful CM perhaps?) and then found my family. This man took time out of his vacation and probably left his own family to get a visor for a kid he didn’t even know. I really hope that I thanked him, profusely. Today, I think of this as one of the great kindnesses, among many, that I have been lucky enough to have been the beneficiary of. Perhaps he will read this, if he does, Thank You from the bottom of a five year old heart...twenty some odd years later.

Have you ever been given the gift of kindness at Disney or somewhere else for that just felt like magic? Let me know in the comments section below.