It’s OK to Scream!

It’s OK to Scream!

I love the image of this. It has to do with the Big Picture of Life – moving forward with projects, and doing great things.

And then dealing with the stress, the anxiety, that wants to tag along and hold us down . . .

But first, a little background story.

Growing up as a kid on the beach in Malibu, my Dad was Bandleader at Disneyland. (Read about Dad and listen to his music here: You Can Do Anything! )

Whenever we could, we got to go with him to work – so I got LOTS of ride-time in at the Park.

As teenagers, my brother and I loved the Matterhorn the most. (These were the 60s, the years before Space Mountain.)

And yet the Matterhorn wasn’t even the best part of our Disneyland adventure. My Dad was a private pilot – he owned an airplane and used it for his Los Angeles area commute to avoid rush hour traffic.

So we’d fly to the Park with Dad – our adrenaline already soaring – for his “night job”. And we’d run all night between and the rides and Dad’s Bandstand (Carnation Plaza Gardens, conveniently located at the end of Main Street), until closing.

(Oh how I remember the running. The clock was always ticking, and time was precious at the Park.)

But we’d always come back to ride the Matterhorn, again and again, especially on Private Party nights when the lines were short.

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Interestingly, the Matterhorn wasn’t built right away – Disneyland opened in 1955, the Matterhorn in 1959.

Before opening the Matterhorn to the public, my Dad and my Uncle, being employees and also big guys (over six feet tall), were asked to ride along as “guinea pigs” – so the engineers could see how the ride handled weight.

I remember being a little kid listening to Dad laughing and telling us how much he and my Uncle Lloyd enjoyed their Matterhorn test-ride.

WOW! What an employee perk!

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Listen to Dad here – Entire Album, Date Night At Disneyland, The Elliott Brothers Orchestra, recorded at Disneyland, 1958

http://www.mousevinyl.com/content/date-nite-disneyland-date-niters-elliott-brothers-orchestra-disneyland-records

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Now, flash forward to a phone conversation I had with one of my longtime Malibu horse-girl friends, and you might understand how images from my Disneyland Childhood started pouring out . . .

Here are the notes from my Journal.

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Had a lovely revelation with Lani on the phone last night. She called while I was JUST thinking of her.

As the phone rang, I knew it was her. (That’s God, for sure!) She’s moving forward with her projects, and doing great things.

She’s very busy, though, and it’s stressful. She told me that she wakes up in the middle of the night with starts and fits.

The stress is getting to her. She’s having trouble sleeping . . .

As she spoke I saw these mental pictures, and these words and ideas flowed:

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Think of things this way.

Think of your Life as if you’re on a ride at Disneyland – Space Mountain, or the Matterhorn after dark. After all, those are the fun rides, the fast ones.

Those are the ones we ride again and again, for the thrill we know we’ll get. (Like riding our horses!)

And when you’re on the ride, have you ever wondered who designed those rides? I never did. But someone had to. Someone had to be sure those rides were engineered safely enough to not hurt us, but exciting enough to keep us coming back for more . . .

We never worried about that part, about our safety. Because the Disney Imagineers did that.

Our job was to wait our turn in line, get strapped in, hang on – and enjoy the ride!

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Actually, when we were kids, my brother and I would scream our heads off on the Matterhorn. Not because it was that scary – but because we could!

Where else could a kid really cut loose and SCREAM without getting in trouble?

We would “test our lungs” to make sure we could really scream in case we ever needed to – in case a “bad guy” ever came after us* . . .

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And on the ride, when it climbs that first big hill – as it’s going up slowly – you know what that means. That it’s going to come down really fast – roller coaster fast.

But that’s why you chose to ride!

It’s not a little kid ride. You grew out of Snow White years ago. This is the biggest, most exciting stuff at the Park. (And the longest lines. :~)

And when you crest the big hill and the track twists and the car whips and the G-forces threaten to tear you out of your seat . . .

You can grimace, you can yell. But there’s no getting off in the middle of the ride.

There’s no getting off until the ride runs its course and you splash into the sweet-smelling water at the very end.

Eventually the ride will end. And the nice attendant will usher you off.

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Well, in the Ride that is your Life, God is the engineer. He designed the track.

And even though it may feel like your Life is cascading into space, He’ll make sure you stay safely in your “vehicle” (your body : ~ ).

There’s no need for worry. Anxiety and stress can step aside.

Your job, now that you’re on, is to just hang in there, and enjoy the RIDE!

Enjoy the twists and turns, the whips and forces.

Enjoy the very Ride your Life takes you on, Right Now.

For the precious hands of time are ever tick-tick-ticking . . .

There’s always a bigger purpose, a bigger plan, behind everything we do.

Trust in that. Like the rides at the Park that stay faithful to the Imagineers who designed them.

Eventually things will slow down.

The Ride will come to an end . . .

And the nice attendant will usher you off.

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In the meantime: Trust the Designer. Trust the Imagineer.

Because He built the track that will usher you safely, all the way to the end.

So hang in there. Enjoy the Ride!

And one more thing.

Remember – it’s OK to SCREAM!

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*Mom always told us: “If anyone tries to harm you, start screaming! Put up a fight! Run to the nearest (occupied-looking) house and knock on the door.” I wonder if that’s still recommended for little kids now?

And the few times I really DID need to scream to protect myself – my lungs certainly did work!

Thanks Mom! Thanks Dad!

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My Dad (foreground, Saxophone) and my Uncle Lloyd (Trombone ) on the Carnation Plaza Gardens Bandstand at Disneyland

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Like what you’ve read here? Visit Dawn’s sister blog: Soul Horse Ride

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Copyright 2014 – photos and text