I Thought I Was Alone Until Something Magical Happened
How complete strangers made me the happiest person on Earth.
The holidays were coming and I was very far from home. In 2019 I went to Walt Disney World on an exchange work and travel experience, leaving Brazil for some months. Well, I was never very physically attached to home, so traveling is one of my favorite things to do, especially for long periods of time.
Christmas and New Years are sacred to me. I have this tradition of spending every Christmas with my family. We all play Secret Santa, have dinner together and my mom buys some new board game that we’ll play until 5 a.m. New Years is friends’ time, though. I like to party, watch the fireworks with my best friend and she is always the first one I say ‘happy new year’ to. But this time there would be no one. I would spend the season alone.
When I realized maybe these specific dates would be more difficult to handle, I decided to pick some extra shifts so I wouldn’t even see them passing by. Clever huh?
Well, Christmas was fine, honestly it seemed like any other day, except this time I worked for almost 20 hours. All my roommates did the same thing, so we all got home around the same time and got some pizza and wine. We also played a Disney themed Secret Santa and that was pretty fun.
New Years was different, though. I woke up feeling kind of sad, homesick. I had picked this shift at Magic Kingdom, which was 12 hours long, from Dec 31 at 3pm to Jan 1 at 3am. FUN.
My job was crowd control, which means I basically had to keep people walking or standing at specific places so there would be no bumping or human traffic going on. Of course, that is necessary on specific dates because the parks get too crowded and, unless the cast members are there to organize everything, it all just turns into a big hot mess. Seriously.
To my surprise, I got assigned to a spot right in the corner of Main Street. That gave me a very privileged view of Cinderella’s Castle and, of course, the fireworks. Right in the afternoon, I got there and started putting on the ropes and chains, so the space to stand and walk would be clearly delineated.
Right at 6pm, after my very first break, this American family asks me where would be the best place to watch the fireworks from. And, of course, my answer is “right where you are standing, because it’s right in the middle and nobody will be in front of you, so you can get the clearest view possible”. The mother just opens the biggest smile and says “thank you so much! We won’t leave your side then.” So starting at that moment, I had the company of these 10–12 people, who were incredibly nice, from adults to children. Pretty soon, other groups started crowding behind them and the sun started going down.
At some point, there were these two guys that came out of nowhere, and simply went below and through the ropes and got in front of that lovely family — that was there saving their spot for hours already. So I get back from my second break and see them. I immediately spot the mother’s eyes asking me for help, nod and go in the guys’ direction:
“Hello, fellows, good afternoon! Are you having a good time today?”
“Uh.. yeah.” (Not having a clue why I was talking to them.)
“I am so glad to hear that! Unfortunately, I will have to ask you to move to another spot, perhaps across the street or right by that store (point), where you will also have a great view. You see, this family right behind you has been here for more than 6 hours saving their spot to watch the fireworks. I don’t think it’s fair that you block their view today, do you?”
“Uh… sorry…” (Completely surprised I said something, they start moving.)
“Thank you fellows, you guys are so nice. Have a magical night and Happy New Year!” (I didn’t stop smiling through it all.)
Yes, Disney trains us well on how to be nice even when you don’t want to. I have actually learned A LOT from that.
So the family is happy again and we start chatting more, since people are starting to get quieter because it’s getting closer to showtime. They ask me about my country, my family, my friends, why I am there, my professional goals. We talk a lot and I feel like I have new friends and I won’t spend New Years alone after all.
So the moment comes. The countdown. The firework show. Disney’s 16-minute 360º firework show.
…5–4–3–2–1, HAPPY NEW YEAR!
And of course, the first people I said that to were my beloved freelance family. So they call me by my name, asking me to come closer. I go and they simply give me a big group hug, in the middle of Main Street.
My heart was immediately filled with gratitude and love. I thought about my family, my friends, but I didn’t feel alone. I felt warm. I realized that being nice to people is being nice to yourself.
I don’t know that family’s name. We introduced ourselves at some point, but it’s been years now. I remember their faces though. They are so special to me and part of one of the most beautiful experiences I have ever had until this day. I’m sure I made their day, but they also made mine.
So thank you, freelance family! My 2020 started amazing because of you. Also, thank you Disney! You gave me that. And the fireworks, you guys, were FIRE!
