Sunday nights are for dinner with my mom and dad. Sometimes my grandma joins, usually my brother and sister are off at youth group. Sometimes we watch basketball or the Masters or our dog playing fetch by himself. Whether we gather around the fire on a frigid winter night, or if we're sitting on the back porch on a perfect spring afternoon, Sundays are my time with my mom and dad and it's special. We make jokes about silly things and my parents challenge and encourage me on the serious things. And we almost always eat steak.
This week, my dad was asking me about my dreams. Personal, professional, everything. Then he said, "Don't waste your youth on safety. Safety is the biggest threat to progress that you will ever face." Thinking about the future can be overwhelming and scary. It's one thing to dream a dream, but to breathe it to life? Risky business.
At the end of the meal, my dad said "Do you know why Walt Disney wanted the castle built first when Disneyland was under construction?" As soon as he said this, I kid you not, "When You Wish Upon A Star" started playing in the background. The Steve Tyrell Pandora station had been playing for the entire evening, but as my dad was telling this very story, the original version of this iconic Disney tune started to play. Maybe I'm making it a bigger deal than it was, but I get goosebumps every time I think about it. It was just one of those magical moments that I don't think I will ever forget.
So you want to know why Walt did it? He said it was so everyone could see the dream.
...of a White Christmas.
I know there are the holiday purists police out there who refuse to acknowledge the existence of Christmas until all the Thanksgiving festivities are finished and the turkeys are tucked in bed, dreaming of sugarplums on Thanksgiving night, but the reality is that Christmas is right around the corner. And unfortunately, as good things so often do, the holiday season never ceases to fly by in true whirlwind fashion, a frantic frenzy of jingle bells and mistletoe, cookie-baking and all the best movies... It truly is the most wonderful time of the year, and I certainly plan on making the most of it. So forgive me, if I'm getting a little ahead of myself, but I'm with Bing on this one, dreaming of a White Christmas on this lovely November day...
