Melting My Heart of Stone

   So, here we are. Thursday, my day off. Thank the Lord. It's the beginning of my "weekend". I get today and tomorrow off, and I couldn't be more excited! Finally a chance to rest, and no need to spiel about the hippo pool or Schweitzer Falls.
   I had my first encounter with our Magical Moments at the Magic Kingdom yesterday. For those of you that don't know, a Magical Moment is a pre-planned freebie that we give to select guests to make their experience at Disney just that much more enjoyable. It can range anywhere from a free ice cream mickey bar to a night's stay in the suite up in Cinderella Castle.
   At the Jungle Cruise, our magical moment is given to kids between the ages of 6 and 12. We pick a kid from our boat and they get to be our guest skipper for the ride. They stand at the front and steer your boat for you while you still control the throttle and give your spiel. Of course the kids aren't actually steering, the boats are on a track, but it makes them feel important and isn't something a lot of people get to do.
   I hadn't done a magical moment yet, so yesterday I decided to give it a try. I picked a little boy who had to be about 7. His name was Jonah, and when I asked him to come steer my boat, his eyes just lit up. I could tell it meant a lot to his parents and family as well. The entire time we were out in the jungle, Jonah's mom was either videoing her son, or taking picture after picture. And you know what, it felt great to be able to make someone's vacation just a little bit more special.
   That's the wonderful thing about working at Disney. The company is so determined to be as hospitable as possible. Everyone gives you a smile, even on their worst day. I think the hardest part of this job for me is seeing the children come in from the Make A Wish foundation or Give Kids The World. You can tell these kids and their families are just so excited to be here, they can hardly contain their joy. Its thrilling, but at the same time devestating. The whole time you're talking to them, you know that that sweet little girl in her princess dress is here for probably the last time. And that's when it kicks in, the need to make every experience she has at this park unforgettable. And the cast members try our best every day to make that happen.
   Another first experience for me was getting my photo taken by completely random people. I had to have had it taken about ten times yesterday sporatically throughout my shift...and that was just in one day! People were asking me to take pictures with their children. People were just taking pictures of me by myself. And a few people were even videoing me the entire time they were on my boat! It's the weirdest feeling in the world, knowing that you're going to end up in some random person's family photo album that will be passed on for years to come. Or maybe one day a family will plop down to watch some old home videos and reminisce and then your face pops up on their trip to Disney World. It's a bit weird, but cool at the same time. To all the kids that come in, you're a celebrity. And hopefully when they look back and remember those moments as they grow up, they'll smile. Because I sure will. I'll admit it, all this Disney mushy-gushy stuff melts my heart more and more every day.

   Maybe this place really is Magical afterall.