Looking Ahead

Many years ago, I was newly engaged to a wonderful man who had 4 year old twin sons.  We decided to celebrate our new life together as a family with a trip to Disneyland.  I can’t begin to explain how excited I was about this trip; we didn’t tell the boys until the day we left, and the anticipation of their joy filled my thoughts for weeks.  The flight down was filled with excitement, planning, explaining what Disneyland is . . . and just plain giddiness.  By the time we got there it was late enough to put the boys to bed and get ready for the park in the morning.

The next morning, we had early admittance into the park.  I have been to Disneyland many times since, but for some strange reason on that morning, there was almost no one in the park as we came through the gates.  Mickey and Minnie were there waving, there was a band playing Disney songs, and the boys were holding hands and literally dancing down Main Street.  I truly had never felt so much joy in a single moment.  I was holding the hand of the man I love, watching the boys I love literally leaping with joy as they danced.  As I watched them, tears of joy ran down my cheeks, and I felt carried away in my moment.

And then suddenly, I was looking up at the sky.  It seems that when you are watching boys dance and are carried away with joy and Disney music, you really should look where you are walking – especially in Disneyland.  I walked straight into a metal lamppost (the one by the wooden Indian statue; if you look closely, there is still a mark on the pole).  Now I had a whew moment – one of a slight concussion, confusion, and a crashing headache.

I learned two big lessons that day – first, even in your moments of pure joy, look where you are headed.
 
But more than that, I learned that even when things pop up in your path and completely change the moment, you can still carry on.  Once Chuck figured out I was no longer walking with them and came running back to find me on the ground, I looked up to find my new family’s joy replaced with worry and concern.  I panicked that our trip was ruined.  How do you go to Disneyland for 5 days with a concussion???  But, after a little while and some coffee (I’m Norwegian – I believe coffee can cure just about anything), we were able to start our trip again.  And we had a fantastic time.  I have some memory holes about that week, but there are lots of great pictures, and we really did have a terrific time.  We celebrated starting our family at Disneyland – a little differently than we expected to kick it off, but we had a wonderful trip all the same.
 
And now I never get quite so distracted that I forget to look where I am headed.

Sara Gillam