The One With A Dumbo Mentor Text #sol15

Every Tuesday, I participate in the Slice of Life challenge at Two Writing Teachers. If you want to participate, you can link up at their Slice of Life Story Post on Tuesdays or you can just head on over there to check out other people's stories. For more information on what a Slice of Life post is about, you can go here. 

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I sat down yesterday to write this post but I was stuck. I was totally stuck. I tried uploading some pictures from our Disney trip because I never shared our fun adventure here...but my heart wasn't in it. And then I remembered that my guest post about mentor texts and how I find and use them is up on Marcie Atkins' blog today so I'm going to share a link to that. Marcie's blog and website is a great resource so I hope you explore what she's shared!

Thinking about my guest post on Marcie's blog reminded me of a sort of mentor text I found when were at Disney! (Sometimes writing just anything helps to get me started when I'm in a funk!) 

When I go to Disney World the Dumbo ride is a must-do for me. I adore Dumbo but especially the ride. We've ridden it every time we've taken the kids. We last rode it when we were there in 2011 and it closed soon after. BUT, they revamped Fantasyland and now there are TWO Dumbo rides. It's actually pretty cool what they did with the ride. You go into the line and they give you a pager, kind of like the ones you get at restaurants. Then the kids can play in an amazing indoor play area, kind of like the ones they have in malls. The little kids have a small area where they can crawl and explore. The bigger kids have a climbing structure with slides and interactive elements. It's awesome. Otherwise, the two rides are the same as the original Dumbo. 

I remember riding Dumbo with Peanut when he was one. He loved going up and down and seeing the park as we went around and around. It's such a classic ride. It makes me heart swell to know that I rode it with Little Bean when he was one, too. This has become a fun family tradition for us and I hope we get to continue it.

After we got off the ride, we were already on our way to ride Goofy's Barnstormer but as Chad and the kids ran ahead, I looked up and saw Timothy Mouse spinning around. The sky was so blue, the clouds were so white and there were the words, "Believe and Soar!" Quickly, I grabbed my phone and took a picture. I see him as Dumbo's champion. He believes in Dumbo when he most needs someone to believe in him. It struck me how these inspirational words also felt powerful in a beautiful moment. We had been on vacation for a week, I was relaxed, was having fun with my family, and felt like I didn't have a care in the world. These words reminded me to acknowledge how great my life is and to continue to follow my dreams.

Of course we need words when we're struggling or in the middle of persevering through something...but words are also powerful when we're doing well. When we're feeling productive and have momentum and are on a roll, words are important, too. Wherever you are, however you are feeling, remember to "Believe and Soar!" You can do it!