The happiest place on earth, until, say 3pm.

When I approached the gates of Magic Kingdom, I was feeling the pressure to capture the moment. I was at Disney World for the first time, so everyone needs to smile, okay? Ready? Say cheese!

Disney entrance

Let's try again.

Disney entrance 2

One more time!

Disney entrance 3

Oh, well. Good enough.

But when I crossed the threshold, my expectations melted away. The music. The dancing. The castle. I was captivated by the human-generated magic. I snapped more photos and trailed behind my group making a beeline to Space Mountain. Which, by the way, was So. Much. Fun.

After a day of riding rides, eating ice cream and shedding a few happy tears (It's a Small World is awesome, ya'll) we gathered in Frontierland to watch the Celebrate a Dream Come True parade.

"Please don't stand in the walkway! Please keep moving!" A Disney employee said to the latecomers. I looked down. My feet were firmly planted inside the boundary... right on the edge. We made it just in time.

And then the announcer-voice-person added to the hype, "Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls!"

The parade was coming! The parade was coming! The music was playing. "Celebrate a dream come true! Celebrate a dream come true..." And I was feeling happy, happy, happy.

That is, until the Disney employee opened the walkway, a crowd rushed in and a woman parked herself directly in front of me. Grrr. Each time she clicked her camera, she leaned in closer, invading my line of sight and personal space.

"Ma'am! Please!"

I startled myself with my outburst. In fact, I was so embarrassed, I stopped my Flip video recording and started it again. I didn't want my childish actions clouding the family archives. With all the injustices in the world, I got upset because you blocked my view of Goofy? Apparently, yes.

Luckily, the woman did not turn around and slug me in the face. Instead, she lowered herself to the ground and took a seat. Confrontation over. But I felt terrible. And still, happy music filled the air. "Celebrate a dream come true!"

I started to feel better. At Disney, it's difficult to run from the happy. Even when I temporarily forgot my manners, Disney reminded me that dreams are possible.

After the parade, I was all smiles. Then, my friend laughed and said, "I heard you ma'am that woman." Ugh. I have a feeling it's going to take a while to live that down. How I ma'amed someone in the middle of the happiest place on earth. Because of me, ma'am is now a verb.

The next night, during the Electrical Parade, when I noticed a young girl peeking around from behind me--trying to get a closer look--I stepped aside and said, "Here you go, stand here."

I didn't even ma'am her. And I felt happy, happy, happy.

Angie Mizzell

I write about motherhood, writing, redefining success, and living a life that feels like home.

http://angiemizzell.com
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