Dear Disneyland, We’ve Grown Apart. It’s Not You, It’s Me.

Dear Disneyland, 

I know. It has been a while since we’ve visited. We left suddenly in 2007. There we were, coming to see you on a weekly basis and then…nothing.

Last week, after 6 years of being away, we spent time with you again. It’s great to see you’ve kept on doing what you do best. You continue to grow, enticing more and more people to see you, still making each guest believe they are at the happiest place on earth.

But I’ve changed.

Last year I broke out of my comfort zone and swore to serve the less fortunate. Now, you know I’ve never been one to keep you a secret. Yet, it seemed a little silly to discuss our relationship with people who can’t afford food or heat. So I’ve been a little quiet about you lately.

Our separation caused me see you in a different light. Not a bad light, necessarily, but one without my rose colored glasses. I once thought you infallible. This visit, I saw what you really are. A theme park.

A clean, well managed, safe, musical, happy theme park. But a theme park nonetheless. I believe my experience last year pulled me from Fantasyland and dropped me into Realityland. And that’s okay. I’m 42. I probably need to get over the fact that I am not regal and my husband will never ride a horse, slay a dragon, and sing harmony with me.

Please don’t misunderstand. I know you never asked for my obsessive, unrealistic expectations. It’s just that I used to put a lot of pressure on you for my joy and happiness. I won’t do that anymore. 

Uncle Walt never asked for obsession. He just wanted to create a fun place for families to play. “We believed in our idea – a family park where parents and children could have fun- together.“

(Although, true confession, we will most likely visit your bigger sister in Florida more often. She offers a ton of space to move about, and for us, that offers a more peaceful vacation.)