Pressed Penny and a Bag of Merch

Depending on who you ask, the "magic" of Walt Disney World can be defined in various ways. For me, I am reminded of the universal desire for people to find happiness and how being in a state of joy can lead to a ripple effect of kindness. For example, when you feel stressed or angry, you typically are not tuned in to spreading joy and making someone else's day better. However, if you are having a good day and in a good mood, you are more likely to compliment someone or be more aware of those around you.

In other words, happier people do nicer things and vice versa.

Now, this does not mean that everyone at Walt Disney World is always happy. Certainly, if you have been to the park, you have seen your fair share of frustrated adults and children. But, by and large the culture and environment is designed to solicit joyful moments and happy memories.

It is with this in mind that I share two moments from my last trip that I hope remind you of the power of kindness and inspires you to try to spread a little "Disney magic" in your daily life.

The first moment occurred on the Skyliner. The Skyliner has quickly become a favorite mode of transportation over the past 5 years. On my last trip, I used this service a few times - usually as a solo rider (the crowds were not bad at all).

On one such trip, upon entering the gondola, I noticed that a previous rider had left a bag full of Disney Parks merch behind. Since my vehicle had already begun to take to the sky, I was not able to alert the cast member at the departing station. So, I simply waited until arriving at the next destination and handed the bag to the cast member on duty. Since Disney has a pretty good system for returning lost items (especially a bag of merch with the receipt still inside), I was more than happy to do the right thing with confidence that a sad or upset guest would soon be reunited with their lost items.

The second event took place in the lobby of the Art of Animation Resort. While walking around outside, I happened to step on a pressed penny that someone had dropped. The penny was a little weathered and had probably been on the ground for quite some time. However, it was still in decent shape and the image of Anna on the coin was still in very good shape. I could have left it there, but decided that finding the coin's owner was probably impossible, and picked it up with the goal of finding a child that would maybe give this Anna a nice home.

I found such a child when I walked into the lobby of the Art of Animation. She was wearing an Anna shirt and was obviously overjoyed to be at WDW with her family. I approached the girl's mother and asked if it was okay to give her daughter a gift. With mom's approval, I squatted down and gave the girl the coin. Her face immediately lit up and she was thrilled to have the Anna keepsake. I am not sure how much that gesture impacted her entire trip, but I like to think that it made it just a little bit more magical.

Have you had a magical Disney experience? Want to share your thoughts?  Feel free to leave a comment or send us an email at disneyassembled@gmail.com.

See you real soon!

Troy