My unexpected favourite Disney moment

It’s been a couple of weeks since we returned from the Happiest Place on Earth and I had one more thing I wanted to share with you about our trip. Last time, I told you about how Heavenly Helpers made our trip magical. 

This week, I would love to share with you how we took what could have been some annoying/frustrating moments and turned them around. 

On our first full day there, our group had 8 people - me and my two teens, my mom, my sister and brother-in-law, along with my niece and nephew. Our ages ranged from 7-74. On our very first ride, the Indiana Jones adventure, we waited in line for a decent amount of time. When it was our turn we clambered into the 4-rowed vehicle, taking up the first 3 rows. 

Off we went, into the dark unknown. At the dramatic entrance, the snake-festooned grand doors parted slowly. The excitement grew and then… the ride stopped with the doors partway open. The music ceased, the lights flickered and then we were plunged into darkness. 

It took a few moments for our eyes to adjust and for us to realize what was going on. At first, we thought it was part of the ride but then an announcement came on to tell us that our adventure had paused and we would be on our way shortly. 

To entertain ourselves, we started making a collective rhythm. Some of us clapped our hands, some of us did a little beatboxing and some of us tapped on the vehicle dashboard and handlebars. My niece and nephew were totally delighted and everyone wore a big smile.

Here we are in the dark:

Our rhythm lasted for a few minutes and then tapered out. The ride still didn’t start. Next, I said, “Since It’s a Small World is closed all week, let’s sing that song now. We can make this ride It’s a Small World! Everyone was amenable to the idea and we all sang together. 

We quickly tired of the original version and so we started singing it like different animals. Moo moo moo moo mooooo moo moo… Then meows. Then barks and so on. 

The dad with his two kids in the fourth row behind us said, “Boy, I’m sure glad we got onto the ride with this family! They know how to have fun!”

Once we ran out of animal sounds, we fell back into silence. By this time, the “ride will be starting soon” announcement had played about a dozen times. We were probably going on about 10 minutes of waiting at this point. 

We started discussing what might happen next if the ride was out of order. Then we took stock of what food we had in case we were stranded for a long time. “We have sushi!” I said. The little girl behind me said, “What’s sushi?” which surprised me to no end. 

Back In Service

Generally, we just had a lovely time. When the announcement came on that the ride would be starting again, we all cheered and applauded. The lights went back on, the vehicle lumbered to life and away we went. 

We bumped and swerved along, enjoying the adventure and then but a few minutes later, the same thing happened. Lights extinguished, ground to a halt, music suspended. Darkness, silence and then the good old announcement that we had come to know so well. 

There we sat, once again, wondering how long it would be this time. “It’s a small world after all,” I started singing again. We probably waited another 10 minutes and entertained ourselves to pass the time. 

Eventually, we got going again, cheering as the ride came back to life. 

Wouldn’t you know it, we stalled AGAIN! Right under Indiana Jones hanging from the roof. No one complained, we just laughed and enjoyed each other’s company. This stop was shorter and we made the final plunge to the end of the ride. 

All in all, the Indiana Jones ride took us about half an hour (not including waiting in line)! 

And yet, it was one of my favourite memories of our whole trip. After all, what do people want out of a Disney experience? Laughter, fun, adventure, connection, the unexpected… We certainly experienced all of that on our first ride. It just didn’t come in the way we thought.

Clarity Through Intentions

That’s why it’s so important to have clarity on what it is you want out of your life and the various aspects of it. Prior to our trip, I set an intention that I would experience all of those things and I certainly did. 

Had I been attached to how I thought they would show up, I could have been disappointed, but since I just wanted to feel connected, to laugh and to have fun and adventure in the unexpected, all of those things happened right on our very first ride. 

Over the rest of the day, 4 more of our rides stalled, although none were as long as the first stop. We sang “It’s a Small World” every time and laughed, connected and loved every moment. 

Practical Takeaway

I highly recommend setting intentions as often as you can. You can set them for the year, for the month, for the day, and for little moments throughout the day, like when you get into the car to go somewhere. You can also set them for trips, interviews, performances, get-togethers and anything else you can think of. 

When you set an intention, focus on how you want to feel. State it in the present tense and then let it go, trusting that it will be delivered to you in a way that benefits your highest good. 

My Disneyland intention was something like: I am so happy and grateful that I feel connected and happy on our Disney trip and that I have a lot of fun while adventuring into the unknown. 

Ta-dah! That’s how you do it. Intentions just make life a whole lot better. 

May you have a week filled with magic, delight and intentional living.

With extraordinary love and wonder-filled courage,

Christina

>Creator of Courageous Self-Care

>Coaxing our kids through their first cleanse - they are not impressed

>Parent of a brand new driver (any tips on how to stay calm when your child heads out onto the roads alone???)

If you've been following along for awhile, you might have noticed that I talk about my mentor, Dr Sue Morter, a lot. That's because she's made such a huge impact in my life in absolutely every way.

One of the most impactful learnings I've received from her is the deep understanding that I'm a healer. In fact, everyone has incredible healing capacity.

Personally, I've healed all sorts of aches and pains, along with a severely sprained ankle and a back that got tweaked so severely I had to crawl around. Within 3 days of each of these acute occurences, I was fully functioning again. Powerful stuff!

Not only that, I've been able to support my clients with deep emotional and physical healing using Dr Sue's guidance. Who knew that was even possible? I sure didn't. 

Right now, Dr Sue is offering a 3-day Remote Healing Challenge to help activate your own inner healer. You can get it by clicking this link or the image below. It starts tomorrow!

I highly recommend It’s a Small World After All. (Just kidding.)

We’re going to another live concert soon and I’m very much looking forward to hearing Loreena McKennitt. She is all about the divine feminine, mystery, Celtic lore and the like. 

I’ve loved Loreena McKennitt for decades and I’m so thrilled she will be performing live! She has turned many an epic poem into a song and I’m always mesmerized and transported when I listen to her music. 

It’s hard to choose just one song to share with you but since I mentioned the epic poetry, we’ll go with The Highwayman. I think that the music she wove together perfectly captures the feeling of the poem (which I’ve loved ever since my obsession with Anne of Green Gables). 

Listen to the Highwayman by Loreena McKennitt on Spotify

Listen to the Highwayman by Loreena McKennitt on iTunes