Black Friday vs. Disney

There’s a little magic in the air today.

Pixie Dust and imagination, you could say.

Laughter, smiles and giggles too,

In abundance bubbling out of my crew.

Long lines to wait in anticipation,

A chance to reminisce about vacation.

Choices are many as options unfold,

Shows and rides at Disney never get old!

Dark and chilly arising so very early to wait,

Incredible deals and sales that people anticipate.

Eagerness eventually gives way to frustration,

As patience begins to fail enduring the situation.

Everyone hurrying to get the best deals they can,

Each one focused on self, certainly not on fellow man.

As it is deals and quantities limited, grab what you can get,

No longer joyful, time is running out and its feelings of fret.

Notice the difference, the bright and the dark,

Emotions and energy either positive or negative hit the mark.

Drastically apparent that it is more than just a long line,

both environments are congested with crowds of people,

so why is it in one people cheer and the other they whine?

Myself I think that it is a choice and it is all about the view,

In both circumstances it is determined by what we do.

So, yeah, I decided to join the insanity of the thousands and thousands that are at one of the four Disney World Orlando parks! I told Michael to invite a couple of friends and let’s go spend part of the day.

Ken working for Disney and us having a family pass is a benefit that we don’t often take advantage of. But I see Michael growing up, and realize that it won’t be long and these magic moments will be more challenging to coordinate. So, I have decided to be more intentional planning days that will create memories.

I was pleasantly surprised by the atmosphere throughout the day as we waited in the que for our seats. For example, one group with a few children; the oldest child seemed to be in charge of entertaining the younger. She had them in a circle and they were quietly doing singing and movement. I wouldn’t have noticed them because they weren’t making much noise and would have completely missed it if I hadn’t have come up alongside as my line advanced.

Another group, filled with adults and youth caught my attention when they burst out in laughter. They were actually playing charades and having a lot of fun and it kept a number of people occupied.

We saw people sharing photos with each other, and taking selfies together.

I heard people making plans for after the ride, and plans for the next day. I heard comments of ‘remember when’ and saw interaction of people of various ages and ethnicity.

All of this got me to thinking, of stories I have heard of when Walt Disney passed away, of his wife making the comment that Walt saw Disney in his mind, made me wonder – did he see it like this?

Obviously, there were some people busy on their phones at times, but there were definitely a lot more that were having human interaction.

I certainly got some human interaction from Michael, and could tell he was enjoying himself and the day at Disney. As we walked around the park, periodically Michael would reach his arm around to one of our opposite shoulders and tap our shoulder. As we were in line and he did it to us a few times, I happened to catch a small child in front mimicking him, and tapping his mom’s opposite shoulder. I laughed and whispered to Michael that he had a copycat. He laughed as well.

It’s moments like that, that make me so thankful that we live our life in a way that we are able to enjoy those moments.

Now, flash to Black Friday, and the nonstop lines of people waiting to get the special deals that caused them to get up hours before they normally do, and brave the weather and the crowds.

Angry faces, loud voices, and frustration were abundant throughout the stores. I heard stories of rudeness and saw lack of respect. The amount of impatience was evident, as people rushed the registers.

I heard stories of people that hadn’t slept since the day before, but felt they had to be there to catch these deals. I watched faces of people that were putting their purchases on credit, and I could see the anxiousness in their eyes, when they saw the totals.

I heard someone say that they were going to have to keep hunting because they weren’t able to get a video game their child wanted, and they really needed to find one.

There were no songs being sung. There were no smiling faces at each other. I heard them talking amongst each other of how tired they were, how long the lines were, how slow the lines moved, how crazy the parking was. I heard that they had been at this for hours, and still had hours and stores to go. I heard that they knew they had spent way more than they should, but they had to buy it now, because the prices were good.

STOP! WAIT! I feel like the Grinch, where he speaks of how people buy so much and then a year later it is his!

On the one hand, we have Disney, where the lines were so long.

Yet the people were pleasant, and the happiness strong.

On the other was Black Friday, fraught with distress and dismay,

rushing to and fro, waiting and spending crazily all day.

The moods were complete opposite, yet the end goals they were seeking,

were supposed to be family fun, love and memories for keeping.

How could it be that the same people in line one day at Disney, could seem so different the next at the Black Friday event? Well, my humble opinion would be that they were so self-focused at Black Friday, concerned about getting the deals that the media had convinced them and their children that they needed; that they didn’t realize how much the stress affected them. Waiting in line was to be expected at both places. At Disney is was considered a part of the package, time to laugh and joke with family and friends, time to be present in the moment. At the sales, it was an inconvenience, because it slowed them from getting to the next line.

I can’t help but wonder how much better the day may have gone, if while waiting in line to purchase their gifts, they would have spent time spreading holiday cheer? Would a smile or a laugh have brightened a day? Would it be contagious and create energy that spread?

Next time you are waiting in line, take a chance, say hi to someone. Make someone smile. And think twice about what you are spending, memories are much more important to collect than credit card bills!

Don’t let the lines this holiday season determine your emotional intelligence, start a movement of positivity and joy, it is one of the best gifts you can give.

Sharing Holiday Cheer, Amy