"I'm going to Disney World!' Yes, it's a tradition for the winning Superbowl quarterback and definitively American. The magic kingdom awaits with its promise of fun and food and the funny little guy with big ears - Mickey Mouse, not Prince Charles.
Not being a Disney die-hard, my magic kingdom also awaits. And, according to early press predictions, the queue might be a little longer in London for those wanting to catch a glimpse of a modern-day Cinderella. Figures of close to 1.5 - 2 million are being bandied about and one can only wonder where will all these people go. Can you imagine waiting for Space Mountain in that line?
I can only imagine that there will be something magical about visiting a real Kingdom, complete with its castles and carriages. And, my guess is that any royal firework display will certainly be greater than the one that crosses the Florida skies each evening. Uncle Walt no longer reigns supreme and the American kingdom is a commercial approach designed to capture the imagination that is part of London's living legends.
So let Aaron Rodgers go to Disney World. I'm headed to London where a historian named Walter Bagehot wrote over 100 years ago about the royal monarchy: "In its mystery is its life. We must not let daylight in upon magic."
As the Royal Wedding looms ever closer, several of my friends and family still can't believe that I'm going to London for the wedding. Mind you, if they have assumed or any of my gentle readers have assumed, that I falsely believe that I would actually be invited to the event then you are sadly mistaken. But one can always dream!
And dream I do! Growing up as the only girl amongst 3 brothers and now the mother of 4 boys, I have always had my "inner princess" to keep my head in the clouds while fists and shouts go around. After all, my first nickname was "Cindyrella" which was titled to me by my grandmother (whose nickname was Hobble Gobble - now that's another whole blog in and of itself). As Cindyrella I would prance around with all the grace of a wicked stepsister; no ballet, modeling classes or acting lessons would ever propel me into the world of womanly wiles. No, I would advance not be stepping on others but leaping and falling over them on my way to the top.
Yes, dreams and hopes are a wonderful thing! In my dreams I am a well-groomed lady with young gentlemen for sons who swoon and swoop at my every lady-like command, my husband is my charming prince ready to take care of all my whims and worries and my friends are my ladies-in-waiting who wait for no instructions on my care and needs. And if dreams can not be the everyday reality, then the Royal Wedding festivities and fever offer us all a chance to not only dream but be a part of the reality.
A fairy tale for few but a dream come true for everyone!
