I'd like to wish my father a happy Father's Day! As the "odd one out" in my family, it was hard for my dad to relate to me as I got older—I was interested in fantasy, art, creation, expression, design, and so forth, while my other siblings were more sports-oriented (more of my dad's forte). So it may seem to him at times that we weren’t that close during my preteen and teenage years, but really that wasn't the case—I understood it was hard to relate to someone like me.
Most of my Disney World memories primarily involve my dad— my older brother and sister usually ran off with friends they had made at the resort, and my mom spent her time shopping on Main Street—so it was usually me and my dad running amuck throughout the Magic Kingdom. I have two favorite Disney memories I'd like to share (one I've mentioned before on the blog, but seeing how it's Father's Day, this post is for him). One is a memory that even he loves to tell. It was late one evening during extended hours for resort guests, and the park was somewhat dead. We rode Pirates about 6 times in a row, and Dad loves to mention how once exiting the queue, he could hardly keep up as I darted back to the entrance for another round. I think he loves the story because it humored him to see a 4 year-old take off and he, a former track and field star, had to struggle to keep up.
The other memory was around 1985-86 when we took my dad's parents to Walt Disney World with us. My grandfather wasn't enjoying the Florida heat, so he only went into the parks in the evening, whereas my Grandmother loved every minute of it. So my dad, grandpa and I had closed the park with one final trip on Pirates before jumping on the train to take us back to Main Street. I remember being so tired that I stretched out on the seat across from my dad and grandpa. I remember looking over at the two and thinking about family and generations and how I was so lucky to have a dad to share a place like Walt Disney World with me, and in that moment my Dad was trying to share the magic with his own father. I have many other great memories with my dad at Disney World, of course, but these are my two favorites.
Happy Father's Day, Dad. Thanks for the memories and always diving for "hidden treasures" in the pool!
