Suspend Your Disbelief

“When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable.”

-Walt Disney

Let me try to put into words just what Disney means to me.

A couple of weeks ago, my father asked me why I love Disney so much. But before I tell you my answer, let me tell you his response to the same question. He said: “It makes me feel young again.” A completely valid reason. I totally understand what he means, and completely respect that. Disney does indeed make one feel young again. I know I feel reconnected with my childhood when I fawn over the princesses and get butterflies in my stomach on the Disney park rides! Disney has brought a smile to an infinite number of faces throughout time, many claiming that Disney makes them feel young again. I completely agree with this statement. But why, you may ask, do I personally love Disney so much?

Disney gives the world something to believe in: magic. And, in the words of a friend of mine, “In a world with no magic, that's precisely what you need.” Look around you. The world is a scary place. Disney is like a sanctuary. Disney gives you hope that you can honestly trust the good in others. Good is magic. Trust is magic. As Peter Pan once said, “All it takes is faith and trust, and just a little bit of Pixie Dust.”

Not only does Disney influence you to find the good in others and in all situations, but it also helps you to believe that there is magic in the world we live in every day. If you were to view the world around you as an innocent young child does, you can find the beauty and wonder in so many things that we take for granted. Take, for instance, flowers, waterfalls, or even the sky. The clouds. Aren't they simply perfect? Absolute beauty. Disney helps us to recognize the beauty and magic in the world around us.

Disney has given me the sincere desire to find true magic. At the park, we witness so many “magic tricks.” If you suspend your disbelief for just a moment, you might find yourself believing that Mickey Mouse is actually a sorcerer, that an evil witch really can transform into a dragon, and that dragons actually do exist! You could find yourself believing in fairies and mermaids, and believing that Tinker Bell is indeed flying through the air and creating the fireworks that you are witnessing. Believe that you are actually meeting the REAL Cinderella, and that you are indeed talking to a giant, cuddly, yellow Pooh Bear, who lives in the Hundred Acre Wood, and is best friends with a boy named Christopher Robin and a wee, cautious Piglet. Believe that when you wish upon a star, your dream will come true. Let yourself trust that good can conquer evil, that justice will reign supreme, and that true love's kiss really can break any spell.

Disney convinces you to believe in the power of true love, and that true love alone is more powerful than any evil. THAT is magic. True love is magic. Do you know how lucky you are when you find that one special person that you want to spend eternity with? Do you know how many people spend their whole lives searching, and never find that person? I would gladly give up my voice- my prized possession- just as Ariel did, to be with my loved one forever. Wouldn't you? The kind of love worth crossing oceans for. Worth walking a thousand miles- just to get a glimpse of the one you love. That is true magic.

Of course, I must address my fellow bronies in saying that “Friendship is Magic.” ;) Disney also teaches this principle in so many of its stories.

You see? Kids alone don't get all the fun when it comes to Disney. Adults can experience its magic just as kids can! I challenge you to suspend your disbelief next time you encounter something Disney related. I promise you, it is much more fun that way. Disney is indeed the “happiest place on earth.”

Princess of Broadway

"If you can't see the bright side, polish the dull side."

-Sharpay, Disney's Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure

All my life, all I've ever wanted to do was perform. For as long as I can remember, I rehearsed from day to day with one goal in mind: Broadway. Even as a wee child, whenever I went to the movies with my parents, I would go down to the area in front of the giant screen and dance to the music that was playing in the theater. But that's the ironic part, because if there is anything that is keeping me from reaching my dream, it is my lack of dance training. I have never had a dance class in my life.

The good news is that since my life is beginning to begin to begin (haha, see what I did there), I can start to make decisions on my own and take the steps that I need to to be able to achieve my dream. One of those decisions is taking plenty of dance classes in college. This fall I plan on enrolling in both ballet and tap classes. Hooray for taking advantage of college! I am majoring in Musical Theatre, and I am so excited to begin my career.

The first step of my career: an internship at Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre! I will begin this internship at the end of May- before I even graduate from high school! I am nervous to be living away from my parents for the first time, but I know that my brother and sister-in-law (and fetus niece;) will keep me in good hands. I know that I am in for one heck of an opportunity though, working every day from 10 am to 10 pm. I am super excited to more fully experience what I want to do for the rest of my life! Muahahaha!

Perhaps the most important thing to have in the world of le theatre is a positive attitude! And well, I'd say that I think I'm pretty qualified... I have worked SO hard for half of my life to keep things on the bright side! I mean, you are definitely not going to get all of the jobs you audition for. In fact, you'll probably hardly ever get any of them. I have already experienced this to some extent! So it's important to focus on what you learned from the experience, and improve for next time! Focus on the positive. No tears. Keep your chin up and keep telling yourself how close you were!

Or even if you weren't close- everything happens for a reason. Just remind yourself that the Lord has something better in mind for you! I am a daughter of God, a princess, and I know that my Heavenly Father wants me to be happy. He has the most AWESOME plan in store for me, and if I stay faithful to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I am promised to be blessed! I know that my Heavenly Father puts me through trials that he knows I can handle. Obviously, the jobs that I don't get- it's all for a reason! Because if I WERE to get those jobs, it would mess up His plan for me! And I would miss out on a job that I'm SUPPOSED to have for some BIG HUGE REASON- like meeting my spouse or making a difference or something! So there's no way ever in the whole EXISTENCE that I should be upset about not getting an acting job. I just have to trust the Lord and let Him guide me on my path to the future.

Hopefully, somewhere in that future, Broadway is involved. That'd be cool. Then I'll be a daughter of God, fulfilling her dream. A princess of Broadway.