For over a year and a half I knew we were going on this cruise. I had plenty of time to work on my fear of anything that floats on the ocean and the ocean itself. I also had time to prepare for a Disney experience. For some of us, being around Mickey is not as exciting anymore. Yes, we get to see our kids smile when there is a character coming their way, but is not like we are dreaming of that day coming (or the long lines). However, there is a lot of magic around everything Disney does. Call it branding or marketing, but it is very interesting how adults and children can bond over a fantasy world.

This post is not meant to be one of those that you have in your bookmarks so you can compare experiences and see if a Disney Cruise is the winner for your next vacation. I disagree with a lot of the business model and I have to admit that I would probably not do it again in my life, but that does not mean that I didn’t see a lot of beauty around it…. and that is what I would like to write about.

I was amused with the excitement of over 3,500 people at the boarding area. Adults planning when they were going to take a photo with Minnie, families (10+ people) getting together to experience the magic of Mickey, girls talking amongst themselves about the princesses they wanted to be dressed as. It was really cute to see that one idea has brought such a diverse crowd to the same spot, allowing everyone to be really happy.

So as I was in the check-in line, I started to look around and think; man kind has been able to create something so incredibly unique and beautiful… so… how is it possible that we, as a species, have also created so much hate, war, and violence. How is it possible that I, as a parent, say that my daughter will not have princess dresses in the house, but it is ok for me to read the news and feel sick for days because of what I see happening in the world. How is it ok to avoid a world of fantasy and beauty but be ok with the abuse that we create over our bodies (call it over eating, poor self esteem, engaging in violent relationships, etc). Why do we, adults, want to control everything we do to the point that we even forget how to enjoy our pure existence.

So, I have come to the conclusion that I would much rather live in the world of Toy Story than reading about US politics. I choose to play with cars, trucks, and princess gowns instead of guns (of any kind). I would sit even alone, to watch Beat Bugs on Netflix instead of The Daily Show (which I used to love). I prefer to focus on building a community of like minded people where I live now, than try to understand politics in Spain, which are as fucked up as in any other part of the world.

As I read again what I just wrote, it seems as if I want to split with reality. Be a hippie, avoid contact with the “real world” and be ok as an outcast. However, I am actually begging to find people that want to create beautiful things in Galicia, I love meeting entrepreneurs and hearing their stories, getting to know people that were successful professionals in different parts of the world, but come here to retire, go to yoga classes and learn about the path of other yoga teachers. I feel that this last year and a half has been a lot about accepting that reality is what we allow to come into our lives. We can shape it and construct as much as we want with our intentions, thoughts and actions. For that we need imagination, tools and a lot of time to create things.

I know bad things are happening to people while I write this, I cannot control it… I really wish I could. The only thing I can do is raise a human that wants to use her imagination to create good in the world, inspire others to follow her and be surrounded by people that can provide tools for her to shape (over the course of her life) a reality that allows her generation to have a higher level of mindfulness.