Five reasons why I am grateful for Disneyland Resort this November, 2024.
Disneyland is a Supportive and Joyful Place to Practice Bravery
I am thankful that our kids have an exciting and positive place to practice bravery. The first time they gather all their courage to enter a dark ride or lower that lap bar on a roller coaster, my heart leaps.
I was so proud of our little adventurer when she transitioned from almost fleeing the Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! queue to throwing up her hands and declaring it her favorite ride. When our kids’ bravery is rewarded with the joyful experience of a ride at Disneyland Resort, they are quicker to call on that strength in the future.
Disneyland is Somewhere We All Have a Blast Together
Walt Disney said he wanted Disneyland to be a place where adults and kids could have fun together. It certainly has been that place for our whole family. We love sharing the fun and making memories together.
Disneyland Bring Us Together Across Time
Just as Tomorrowland is steps away from turn-of-the-last-century Main Street U.S.A., Disneyland is also an amazing place where my past connects with my children’s experience today.
In Disneyland, treasured moments from my own childhood intersect with my children’s new adventures. I loving hearing them shriek with delight at the same rides which thrilled me as a child. Disneyland is a place that helps me remember what it feels like to be a kid and to connect with my kids’ feelings today.
Disneyland Celebrates What Connects Us
With all the aliens, fairies and talking animals, Disneyland actually celebrates what connect us as humans. When we visit Disneyland, we have a collective experience with our family and other guests on attractions and during entertainment like World of Color. We experience fear and sadness together and also hope, triumph and joy. Being able to experience those moments together with my family and other guests reminds me that we are all truly connected.
Disneyland Is a Monument to Hope & Creativity
We all hope for a better world. That world lives in my dreams, but Disneyland gives some kind of physical form to that hope. When I visit, I get to live in those dreams for a little while and imagine a world where people are kinder to one another, where courage and compassion are rewarded and where creativity and curiosity can change lives
Yes, the parks are not perfect. Certainly, there is continuing work to be done on making them more inclusive and welcoming. I would very much like to see Disneyland be more financial feasible for guests.
Still, Walt Disney set out to create a place where people could come together and celebrate the best of what we can be. Even if it gets that wrong sometimes, Disneyland is a living monument to hope. To me, that’s beautiful.
Here age relives fond memories of the past — and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams and the hard facts that have created America — with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world.
Walt Disney, Disneyland Opening Day Speech, July 17, 1955