Let’s be real, what hasn’t Disney taught me? Whenever life seems to go anything but my way, and the tears are overbearing compared to the smiles, I turn to Disney as my guide, my shelter, my safety net. Since we all have those days, I figured I should share with you seven of the most important lessons my Disney pals have taught me.

1.Stitch taught me that family means everything. Through all of the good times, and the bad, family never leaves, and they are right by your side no matter what life brings. As he said himself, “Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten”. Life is filled with an endless abundance of change, but within it all lies family, the one constant in my life that I know will never let me down, and will pick me up whenever I fall.

2.Cinderella taught me that dreams really do come true, no matter who you are. One day you may feel worthless, sitting on the ground scrubbing the floors and sweeping all the dust away, but it is just temporary. If you put your mind to it, anything is possible, and if you believe in yourself enough, you can do whatever you desire. With a little help of our own fairy godmothers, we can attend the ball wearing a beautiful gown instead of spending our days regrettably in our rags cleaning the shelves.

3.Woody and Buzz taught me the importance of friendship. Life is so much easier with a friend by your side. Friendship makes the bad days more bearable and the good days even more enjoyable. Friends never give up on each other, and just like Woody never left Buzz, I’ve learned that the good friends never leave either. It is just as important to be a friend as it is to have a friend. Being able to reciprocate love and acceptance for one another is one of the most important things in a friendship. Just like was said between the iconic duo, it is important that some of you know, “You've got a friend in me”, and you always will, no matter where life takes us, or how many miles exist between us.

4. Eeyore taught me that it is okay to have a bad day. Life is not always sunshine and rainbows, in fact it rarely is that. Once in a while, it all gets too much, and it seems there is nothing else left to do but cry and wallow in your own tears for just a little while. Everyone around you is saying, “Be happy”, “Try and smile”, “Don’t worry about it so much”, and you want so badly to be left alone, or tell them that you want to be happy, you don’t enjoy feeling this way. People make you feel like having a bad day is wrong, and being sad is unacceptable. But Eeyore, he showed me that there is no use in pretending be happy. If you are sad, just be sad, and then find a way to be happy again. Eeyore is lucky to be surrounded by friends who still invite him on their daly adventures even though he is sad, and he taught me how important it is to find those people and keep them in your life.

5. Dory taught me not to give up, and to just “keep on swimming”. Life throws things at us during the most inconvenient times, but we must not let that hold us back from moving forward. The water will be rough, but then it will be calm, and through it all, just like Dory, we need to keep going, putting our best gill forward. Sometimes, when all I feel like doing is giving up, I remember what Dory has taught me, and I keep going, I fight whatever seems to be holding me back, and I do whatever makes me happy.

6. Goofy taught me that sometimes you just need a good laugh. It has always been a flaw of mine to take everything I do way too seriously. Goofy always reminds me that sometimes we need to realize that life is too short to be taken so seriously, and laughter is necessary to a happy life. When you laugh and take a minute to enjoy the world around you rather than rushing through it worry about every little thing, you are able to enjoy yourself and the ones you love much more. Why take life so seriously and be adultish when you can laugh and be young forever?

7. Ariel taught me that expectations are often times unrealistic, and it is better to let go of those expectations and be your own person. She also taught me that we are learning new things everyday, and there will be some things that take longer to understand than others. Her friend Sebastian tries to convince her that the human world is just a mess, and she is better off staying down under the sea instead. Ignoring this, Ariel decides she wants to experience the mess. We all experience people trying to convince us that we are better off staying within the limits of our comfort zones, and just like Ariel did, I hope that you join me in choosing to go beyond what you know, and allow yourself to learn new things, because you never know what you may find or the happiness it may bring you.

I hope that my Disney pals helped you just as much as they have helped me, and most of all, I hope you have a very magical day.

Xoxo, Your Fellow Disnerd