Mickey Mouse

I have a friend who loves Mickey Mouse. Every summer the family vacation was a two week long trip to Disney World. The planning for the next trip would start before the even arrived back home. So I was not surprised when my friend told me they were moving to Florida. And I was not surprised when I got a call to tell me she had gotten a job at Disney World. What did surprise me was the fact that her entire family was working there.

I remember watching “The Mickey Mouse Club” on TV growing up. And I remember having my own set of “ears”. So I guess I was a little jealous of her and the rest of her family. Just the trips alone were enough to bring out that green eyed monster in me. I had only been to a Disney park once, and she was going every year!

The only time I was lucky enough to go to Disney World was in the 80’s. The ex husband had family living in Florida and we were living in Louisiana at that time. We were going to be driving up to PA to visit our parents anyway, so he decided to stop in Florida. We had the car packed and were ready to go as soon as the kids got out of school. The drive was uneventful and so was visiting his Aunts and Uncles.

But I remember the side trip to Disney World. Not many visitor to the park before Memorial Day, and that is when we were there. We hit every ride, and I do mean every ride, at least once, Space Mountain got us three times! My son got lost on Main Street. My daughter drooling over Cinderella’s Castle. We meet Minnie, Donald, Goofy and the rest of the gang, except for Mickey. I was heart broken.

On our way to the gates to leave the park, we all just had to sit and try to catch our breaths. We were among the first people in the park that day and we were going to one of the last ones to leave. One of the kids asked me a question and as I turned to answer, I saw him. The tears started to roll down my cheeks and the kids started to get upset because I was crying. Then his white gloved hand was on my shoulder and the kids knew everything was okay. He sat down next to me and held me for a while. The tears stopped and everything was perfect. I had finally met Mickey.

I had told my girlfriend about my meeting Mickey. And she never forgot it either. Every year I get a picture of her with Mickey. And she sends me little gifts with Mickey on it. One year I got a new pair of ears. Another time I got a Christmas tree ball. Several tee shirts have found their way to my doorway also. But I think one of my favorite gifts came just this year. A kitchen timer. Red bottom, just like his shorts, with a black top that has his ears. That is the gift that I will get a lot of use out of.

Incase you were wondering, Mickey gets that kind of reaction a lot. The tears and all. Seems he has meant a lot to a lot of people, not just women, but men also, for a long time.