100 Days of Wonder – #55
I have spent some time on trains these last 2 days so thought I’d go for a transport picture. The first time I went to Disney it hadn’t even occurred to me that it would be so huge that transport would need to be a thing. We went on the monorail round the Magic Kingdom resorts and I had a great time! The monorails are also very supportive of running events tooting encouragement when they pass by or over the course.
They are also efficient. And Disney logistics efficiency is something to behold. I obviously find joy and wonder in the magic but I also find it in the logistics and how almost all of the time things just work. Monorails and buses transport thousands of runners to the start line over marathon weekend and actually guests back to hotels and car parks after fireworks every night. Sure it gets crowded but those crowds disperse fast. Rarely do you have to wait long for a bus and they generally come when indicated. When it’s busy it feels like the monorails just keep coming. As chaotic as I generally am, I do find joy in good, efficient and effective transport systems. Living in the UK, they’re a rare treat!
100 Days of Wonder – #53
I have been drinking too much coffee. And I haven’t been drinking it in that lovely ‘mindful first cup of the day slowly inviting in the day’ way. It’s been more like ‘do task, drink coffee, do task, drink coffee, do task, drink coffee and repeat…’ Not great because it means I drink way more coffee than I normally would and I don’t even pause to enjoy it. So it seems fitting to pause and think about coffee moments. I have had so many lovely conversations, giggles, good cries, bitching sessions and putting the world to rights chats over coffee. So many reflective moments cradling a mug of hot black liquid, so many ideas – good, bad and ridiculous. I have lots of coffee moments and my favourite ones are the first coffee of the day moments, whether I have it sitting in bed slowly coming round, sitting outside watching the world wake up around me or whether I am sipping it from a reusable mug on the go. My first coffee of the day at Disney is extra special because I’m at Disney but it serves two purposes – it allows me to come round and wake up gently before jumping into the day and it provides a moment of pause to enjoy the promise a new day of adventures holds. We usually get a resort mug which means we can refill at the drinks station in the hotel throughout our stay but there are also coffee machines in the rooms. Depending on our mood, we can take a few steps from the bed and press a button or we can stroll from wherever our room is to the drinks station. Here’s a picture of the 50th anniversary blend dispensers at Disney World in January 2023. We were in the Garden Wing of the Contemporary Resort in 2023 and there was something lovely about the walk across to the main tower to fill our mugs. Somehow that first coffee is as much about the making or going and getting it and holding the mug and thinking about the day to come as it is about actually drinking the coffee. So I can’t promise I will drink less coffee but looking for this picture and thinking about coffee moments made me realise that I do want to at least drink it more mindfully and enjoy my coffee moments again.
100 Days of Wonder – #52
Here’s the Bear of Little Brain. This was taken at Epcot in January 2023 as he was doing his morning exercises. We stood and watched him for ages and got the giggles watching him trying to reach his toes. My anxiety has been sky high today and I have felt very ‘little brained’. I probably could have done with channeling Winnie a little more. Or just the feeling of standing and watching him. In fact I don’t think any of us really take enough time to just stand and stare or watch or just be. It’s all about productivity and that just ends up being counter productive because my work world should be about creativity and thinking and empowerment and inspiring others and none of that works well if my tank is empty. Winnie started his day with some exercise and some waving at crowds and some being silly and just the memory of that starts resetting my system and bringing my heart rate and anxiety levels down. I finished my day today with a Boxercise class at the gym. It felt good – sometimes you just need to punch the crap out of something to release the excess adrenaline – and there were some giggles too over my lack of co-ordination. The fact that I nearly passed out at the end and had to sit on a chair off to one said that felt rather like the naughty chair, is also a reminder to look after myself better during the day. Maybe pause, have lunch, drink water, drink less coffee… I can’t imagine Winnie not having a little smackerel of something at regular intervals!
My Conversations 