The Happiest Blog On Earth - Happiness...

Happiness. Now that's a pretty personal word, isn't it? Happiness could mean a million dollars to one person, and it could mean a good hair day to another. The meaning of the word is as unique to the person as the person using it. To me, happiness isn't a "feeling", it's a state of being.

Let me back up a moment. Being happy, as I'm sure everyone knows, is always in a state of flux, that is, it's never constant. For example, you could wake up in a happy mood, then after battling a fierce traffic jam, be transformed into "Mr. Grumpy Pants"! Then, someone plays the "Baby Monkey Riding On A Pig" song for you, and viola, you're in the Happiness Realm once again! So, for most of my time, I'm a pretty happy guy, but can experience my "downs" with the best of them. But...there's ALWAYS one magical thing that reaches its hand down the deep well of Grumpy Town and rescues me - Disneyland! Yep, Disneyland. The location, the idea, the thought, the photos, the sounds, well you get the picture.

I'm a relative "Newbie" to the Disneyland Resort. For those who know me or have heard Joyce and me chat about this on our podcast you'll already know this. But, for the vast majority of my life I've been deprived of that awesome happiness factory called the Disneyland Resort. My very first visit to Disneyland wasn't until 2007 - at the age of 42! My darling wife finally talked me into visiting for the Halloween Season in 2007, and I've been HAPPILY hooked ever since. Disneyland represents a tremendous state of being to me that is extremely difficult to put into words. Once I walked through the Magical Gates of Disneyland for the first time, my very definition of happiness changed. No longer was it sufficient to watch my favorite movie to make me happy. No longer was it sufficient to hear my favorite song to make me happy. Oh no! Happiness moved to a whole new level.

For those of you who love Disneyland, you understand. Walking through those gates puts you in another world, another time. The worries and troubles that plague you on "the outside" just don't exist for those few magical hours you get to spend there. Walt Disney was a very insightful man. He understood that folks NEED, not just want, but NEED, to be connected with that inner child. He found a way to help folks re-connect with the child they used to be, transporting them - US - back to an age when we were happy just being...and that's exactly what happens every time I walk through the gates of Disneyland. I'm happy...being. And spending those few magical hours with the love of my life...well, the word happy just doesn't cover it.  Call it magic, call it clever marketing, it doesn't matter. The end result is the same: HAPPINESS.