The other day I was reminiscing with a longtime friend and fellow former Disney parade performer about the Mickey Mania Parade. It’s hard to believe it was almost 30 years ago that a strange assortment of inflatable Mickey Mouse inspired objects filled the streets of the Magic Kingdom! It was odd, but the music was infectiously bouncy and fun. I loved performing in that parade! Especially when I got to be Mickey’s dog, Pluto. It was challenging to pace myself because my body wanted to dance full out along the entire parade route. On a hot August day, that was neither advisable nor possible.
At the time, Disney sold CDs of the parade music so I had to buy a copy. I have since uploaded it to my iTunes Library along with other memorable parade music like the Electric Light Parade and SpectroMagic. Once in a while, when I need a mood booster, I play these songs for a jolt of joyful energy and happy memories. It shouldn’t have surprised me to learn my friend also loved that music and also purchased that CD!
Our conversation sparked a wonderful memory of an experience I had many years after we stopped dancing down Main Street. Well, at least professionally! It must have been one of those difficult days, so I played the parade music on my iPod during my morning jog. (Yes, once upon a time, my morning walk was a jog and people listened to music on an ancient device called an iPod.) After completing my third or fourth lap around the exercise path in Aventura, Florida, I headed back to my condo, still smiling and listening to the peppy tunes of Mickey Mania. (Click here for a sample.)
The parade continued in my head as I walked along the sidewalk toward the entrance to my condominium community. On that same sidewalk, an elderly man was being pushed toward me in a wheelchair by his caregiver. When the distance between us was about 10 feet, the man suddenly raised his hands high in the air and yelled, “Hooray!” while grinning ear to ear.
Without missing a beat, I responded “Yay!” with my hands waving joyfully in the air. His caregiver watched, puzzled but entertained. It was a magical moment of connection I’ll never forget!
In case you were wondering, I was listening to the music with earbuds, so there’s no way he could have heard my parade music. I believe he felt the sheer joy radiating from me, and he simply mirrored it back. This experience reminded me that we are much more connected than we think. It also demonstrated how quickly and easily the power of joy can connect perfect strangers. I’m so grateful to that man for this lesson.
Could you use some assistance in experiencing more joy? It would be my great honor to share some tools and teachings that work for me in a series of Spiritual Coaching Sessions. Not only will we go deep into spiritual practices during our sessions, but we will laugh a lot too! Perhaps you have an unconscious family loyalty to sadness and hardship that we can uncover, explore, and release during a private Family Constellations Session. Please look around my website to learn more about these healing opportunities or to book a session with my automated scheduler. It would be my great joy to work with you!
If you and your brother are joined, how could it be that you have private thoughts?
A Course in Miracles ~ T-21.VI.2:8
