Disney Hangover

The first few hours of today were spent waiting in line, buckling in, climbing up, plunging down, unbuckling, and doing it all again. We rode lots of rides at Disney’s California Adventure before it started to rain buckets this afternoon. I felt so bad for all the people who came from far away to the happiest place on earth only to be left wandering around soaking wet, rideless, and trying to console their disappointed kiddos.

I think I did a pretty good job keeping my mind on track — don’t think too hard, be in the moment, keep it light. Certainly, that’s not a healthy way to live every single day when you’re trying to absorb your new reality, but it seems to have worked OK when my goal was just to enjoy a couple of days at Disneyland. It wasn’t easy…on several levels. I had to pull my mind back into the moment countless times. This evening I found myself emotionally drained and exhausted. Where I would normally opt for a session of hot yoga or Pilates, I decided to just lay on the couch and watch a movie. That’s the thing that best answered the question, “What’s the most loving, kind thing I can do for myself this evening?”

The past two days at Disneyland, I would see families with little dimpled boys and remember how cute Chandler was at that age and how he had no fear of any ride — ever! I remembered once when we were at Disneyland with the boys, one walking, one in a stroller, and one in a backpack. An older mom stopped me and said, “Your boys are lucky to have a mom who is so happy.” That has never left me.

Being mom to Chase, Chance, Chandler and Charli is my happiest place on earth.