In 1983, I had two aspirations:
1. Live across the street from Disneyland.
2. Work at Disneyland.1
I'm able to pin down the exact year -- 1983 -- because it was during this same time that Samantha Smith was writing letters to Soviet leader Yuri Andropov. She was rightly afraid of Nuclear war and wanted to know what was being done to prevent mass destruction.
She wanted peace.
I wanted a annual passport and a Anaheim address.
Because of our different agendas, I was ashamed of my selfishness and superficiality. Why couldn't I be like Samantha Smith and care enough to write to Mr. Andropov? Why was I so consumed with my need for 24/7 amusement.
It's not like I wasn't afraid of Nuclear war. I saw The Day After. And, despite common sense, we were still doing drop and cover drills in school (Although that may have had more to do with the constant threat of The Big One, another source of childhood anxiety).
Despite the guilt I felt over my lack of involvement in affairs of state, I never let go of my Disneyland fantasies. In this screwed-up world, Disneyland was my safe house.
I've gone to Disneyland about once every year since I was three years-old. And now, with the new California Adventure park, we're faced with a dilemma. On our upcoming trip to Southern California, should we go to the new park and create a new experience? Or, should I rely on the pleasure I feel through childhood associations and stick with old-school Disneyland?
Is it wrong that I consider this to be a dilemma? Am I still living in the shadow of Samantha Smith?
1. Where would I work at Disneyland? It's really a tricky question. My favorite "ride" is The Enchanted Tiki Room. But really, how much Tiki Room is too much Tiki Room? I'd give myself five hours before I'd want to make Polynesian stew.
As an adult, I can't really picture being happy as a Cast Member. Perhaps a waitress job at the Blue Bayou, the restaurant inside the Pirates of the Caribbean, is ideal since it involves indirect involvement in a ride, tips, and a controlled climate.
That choice really disappoints my inner child.
Where would you work?
