How?

My wife, Mrs. Doc, enjoys a website called eHow.com. On it, people write “how to” on a variety of subjects. On there you can find information on from how to cut a gem stone, to how to boil water. Seriously, there is an article on how to boil water. Mrs. Doc has written a few of these “how to” articles. The one about how to cut a gem stone was hers.

She also has the nice habit of forwarding eHow articles to me from time to time. This is especially true if the article has anything to do with Walt Disney World. And I have come to learn there are a good number of articles centered on things related to Disney. A search of the site yielded 33K plus entries in which the word “Disney” appears. She sent one these to me this weekend that I particularly liked and wanted to comment on. It is entitled “How to Spread the Magic While Visiting Walt Disney World.”

It is simple article and contains three ways to “Spread the Magic.” One is easy enough – smile. Most of us are smiling the whole time we’re there anyway. With this, we need simply to direct our smile towards someone else. Brighten their day just that much more!

The second recommendation I found interesting. Wave to other people in the parks and count the number of times someone else waves back. The writer says that her family makes a game out of it. I am a bit introverted so this one would be a little difficult for me. Yes, waving is easy if I am waving at someone I know, but I don’t often do this with strangers. I’ve have waved at someone then quickly pulled my hand down when I discovered the person I was waving at was not the person I thought they were. Still, it may be interesting to try this suggestion some time.

Third, and another suggestion that is easily accomplished, is to strike up a conversation while in queue. I say it’s easy, and while it doesn’t happen that often, I have been known start a conversation with someone else in queue. The reality is, that more often than not, I am in line with friends or family so my conversation is usually directed to them. But again, it has happened. Another suggestion mentioned, what I’ll call 3a, is to recognize someone’s celebration button and comment. It is not hard too hard to tell someone “Happy Birthday”, “Happy Anniversary” or “Congratulations” to a Just Married couple. These are all special moments and we are helping to make it that much more special.

If there is one thing The Disney Obsession is about, it is about the emotion that comes from a love of all things Disney. I think that is the way Walt would want it? Don’t you think he intended for his parks to spark emotions in us all? I think he did.

The Magic Kingdom is known as The Magical Place on Earth. But for all the magic there, and throughout all of Walt Disney World, there is always room for a little more. There is room for the magic that we can make by sharing our happiness, our joy, our excitement with others around us. We have the privilege, and the duty, to share our magic with those we know and with total strangers; fellow travelers, we meet along the way.

I suppose you might say it’s a way to Pay It Forward, Disney style.

More to follow…