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Friday, April 15, 2016

No, I've Never Been to Disneyland

Spring Break has come and gone.  My social media has been bombarded with pictures of smiling faces of friends and relatives wandering around or taking a ride at Disneyland.  It doesn’t end there.  Others who do not access my social media accounts return also with stories of experiences they had while there.  I just sit back, smile, and try to keep the jealousy in check.  No, I have never been to Disneyland or anything Disney related.   It was in the plans a few times, but each time something came up and the plans were cancelled.
I confess I’ve always had a thing for fairy tales, not because the beautiful girl always gets her prince, but because of the moral lessons and truths they teach behind all the grotesque details and magic:

1.      The good always wins eventually (eventually is the key word here—perhaps even when it seems past all hope).
2.      No one escapes trials; however, if endured through patience and longsuffering, no matter how terrible the situation, all will work out in the end. 
3.      There is such a thing as a happy ending, perhaps not in the way we expect, but happy nevertheless.
4.      Help is there for those in need and/or those who seek it.
5.      We have choices every day that lead us to reward or disaster.

So why have I never gone?  I have several explanations, but every time I try to explain it to myself, it gets more complicated and would take longer than anyone wants to read to write out.  To put it as briefly as possible: I’m totally dedicated to my family and its various needs--probably to a fault (btw there's more involved here than my brother's disability.  There's another with Parkinson's)…and I have a tendency to “Admire at a distance,” meaning there are a lot of things I’d like, but I deny myself in obtaining them—for a variety of reasons, some more valid than others.  I wish I could explain that better.

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Speaking of tales, I have another reader who loved my most recent story…and now the pressure’s on to get going on the next.  I’ve started it, but first drafts are the most difficult to do.

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Spring is here and flowers are blooming.  Here is a photo of some daffodils in our yard.  The winds from the canyon were blowing so the flower wasn't exactly where I wanted it, but it gave it an artistic effect.  I like it.  I also posted it on my Instagram.