Creative Connections
Last week, I wrote about my experience visiting Disney World with two dear friends from New Mexico. It was shocking to see sparse crowds and relatively short wait times during a holiday week. We were very grateful! I talked a lot about the rides and shows, but I didn’t mention the “character connections” that were actually some of my favorite moments.
As soon as we arrived at Epcot on our first day, we walked directly to the back of the park to “let it go” on Frozen Ever After in Norway before making our way around World Showcase to France to ride Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. Along the way, we happened upon Snow White greeting guests outside a cottage in Germany. There weren’t many people waiting in line, so we decided not to pass up the opportunity to meet the original Disney Princess.
Having been a Disney character performer for many years, I remember how fun it was when guests asked us something other than the obvious questions. Imagine how many times Snow White recites the names of the seven dwarves in a day.
You may recall from the movie that Snow White has a gift for communicating with animals. After we had taken a picture with her, I asked if she heard the shrill calls of the limpkin echoing through the park earlier that morning.
If you haven’t heard of a limpkin, don’t feel bad. I hadn’t either until I moved to the West Coast of Florida. It’s a brown water bird that resembles an ibis and is known for its extremely loud calls at dawn and dusk. I found that out the hard way when one started visiting the pond outside my old apartment in the wee hours of the morning. Their persistent call sounds like a strange mixture of car alarm and choking goose. (Click here to listen to a little sample, but imagine it 50 times louder in person!)
Not surprisingly, Snow White had heard the limpkin. I don’t think anyone in the park that morning could have missed it. Just to make silly conversation, I asked if she could please talk to the limpkin about being a little quieter first thing in the morning. Without missing a beat, Snow White put it back on me by asking if I had tried to communicate with him by imitating his calls. I had to admit I did not try that.
Before we left, I felt compelled to tell Snow White about a long-running joke with a Disney-loving friend who has a huge block on remembering the names of the dwarves. Even after giving this friend some clues, she could not name any of them. Some of her guesses included “Gus,” “Smarty,” and “Cantankerous.” Cantankerous? Really?
Snow White giggled to hear this, and then easily and effortlessly rattled off their names as if she said them hundreds of times per day, which I’m sure she does. One of my friends caught the whole conversation on video, so I immediately sent it to my cantankerous friend. She was both mortified and thrilled to know that conversation happened and so grateful to receive that video. The whole experience brought me great joy!
On that same walk around World Showcase, we passed Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Her line was quite long so we didn't stop, but I greeted her from afar with my best, “Bon Jour, Belle!” I then proceeded to sing a few lines from the opening song of her movie. “She really is a funny girl. A beauty but a funny girl, that Belle!” Sometimes I can’t help myself when it comes to Disney music. The words just slip out.
After Remy and a delicious crepe in France, we spotted Princess Aurora from Sleeping Beauty. While taking a photo with her, I commented on her pink dress, knowing there’s a funny scene in the movie where the fairies fight over what color it should be. With magic wands waving frantically, the scene escalates into a zapping war as they transform the dress and each other from pink to blue. I joked about the blue fairy, Merriweather, needing to chill out because there are vast amounts of blue in the world already, namely the sky and the ocean. Again, complete silliness, but so much fun!
Before leaving, I leaned in and quietly asked Aurora if she’d like to know a little secret. The poor girl was probably hesitant to say yes, but she did. I whispered that many years ago I used to stand next to her on a castle float in the Christmas Parade. She gave me a knowing wink as she turned to greet the next family. That’s a unique character connection that I feel blessed to have.
For years after leaving the company, I chose not to reveal my “secret identity” as a former character to current performers. It didn’t seem important until my friend, Vito, another former character, offered a different perspective. He asked if I would have enjoyed knowing that kind of information when we were characters. The answer was yes. I would have found that very interesting! So now, if it feels appropriate, I share it discreetly.
As we walked away, Princess Aurora’s escort stopped me to ask why I wasn’t singing any songs from Sleeping Beauty. Apparently, she had heard my performance as we walked by Belle earlier and recognized me. Little did she know, I had “Once Upon a Dream” (a song I sang as Prince Phillip many times back in the day) locked and loaded! My friends just laughed. Did I mention Disney music sometimes just slips out of me?
We had another wonderful conversation with Alice in Wonderland by the gardens in the United Kingdom. I wished her a very happy un-birthday, as one does when they meet Alice. She thought it odd that we were celebrating our un-birthdays with crepes in France instead of cake. After hearing my ridiculous Mad Hatter imitation, she thought perhaps I drank a cup of “Insani-Tea” with my crepe. That girl had us laughing with her ‘tea” jokes. It was quite an honor when Alice invited us to the next Mad Tea Party. Before we said our “so longs,” she poured us each a cup of “Invisibili-Tea” which we held while smiling like the Cheshire Cat for a photo.
It may seem trivial to have conversations about imaginary tea, fairies, and loud birds with performers dressed like animated characters, but these quiet moments were truly some of my favorites of the trip. It wasn’t about the topics of conversation. It was about finding creative ways to connect with another human being while having a little fun. I try to do that no matter where I am. It certainly makes life more enjoyable, especially in these divisive times.
If you would like some tools and practices to help you creatively connect with yourself and others, consider giving yourself the gift of Spiritual Coaching or a private Family Constellations Session. Both offer new perspectives on challenging situations. Thanks to technology, we can connect no matter where in the world you are. (I wonder if they have WiFi in Wonderland?) Please look around my website for more information and to book a session. I look forward to connecting with you!
Until next time, may your days be filled with creative opportunities to connect.
It is solely a device of the ego to make you feel different from your brothers and separated from them.
A Course in Miracles ~ T-6.II.3.3