Dis Knee
Remember your kid side.
I remember clearly my first time enjoying Disneyland.
It was a wave of lightness.
A form of pure joy that was indescribable.
Being able to see your childhood movie characters in real life just… hit different. It was simply magical.
Being lifted onto the shoulders of my dad and being able to watch the parade that would rampage the streets- There’s Mickey! Hey Woody! Wow, it’s Cinderella! Oh my, Sully just waved at me!
Stuffing my warm face with the famous turkey leg, the toasty (and very sweet) churro, and the warm clam chowder poured into a freshly baked sourdough bowl was just a stupendous feeling.
Getting my stomach uppercutted from the shear downward force from the Tower of Terror, or Paradise Pier’s California Screaming, or the fact that we can sit in a metal pod and enjoy the summary of Ariel’s upbringing from The Little Mermaid.
As I am older now (precisely 25), there’s no question some of that “magic” spell wore off. I grew into other things, realized the reality of the world today, gone down the rabbit hole of political issues, and witnessed some horrific events that have spiraled our world out of control.
But today, it felt different. As a (film) photographer, I felt that it was necessary to document today’s visit to the happiest place on Earth to celebrate one of the happiest girls on this planet - my sister.
My little sister with her bestie
She had just turned 13 years young and the family and I surprised her to a visit to Disneyland for the first time since she was about 9 years old. And let me tell ya… I honestly felt that magic again.
Not only being able to witness her happiness through her energy today, but through ALL the children I’ve encountered and photographed this evening.
It made me almost jealous to see kids be this happy without a worry in the world. To experience this magic I once had for the magical kingdom Walt Disney created for our world.
But you know what? I am very happy to see that there are slices of life God has given me in order to appreciate all the good times and experiences I had at Disneyland when I was a kid.
And to you I say, I hope you find the images to provide some sort of reflection of your life when you were a kid.
It doesn’t necessarily have to be related with Disneyland, but anything that renders that feeling of complete and utter happiness.
I invite you to be your kidself for one minute and truly thank the loved ones that have enhanced your experiences for the moment because we all know time only ticks, but never lost.
Check out the album:
