(Don’t worry, this isn’t turning into a Disneyland blog.)
I had the best time with V at Disneyland last week, and ever since I’ve been talking to all of my coworkers about buying an annual pass.
“But the cost,” I moaned. “And even if you get the cheaper pass, parking is $25 per trip. So if you go twice per month, that’s $600 by the end of the year! And to get the pass with the free parking is about that much more. This is how Disney gets you!”
I recited this speech to anyone who would listen. Verbatim. Often, multiple times.
Most people were supportive. Including, shockingly, C. Who, if you remember, is not a big Disney fan.
But what really surprised me was what my best friend said.
“They’re only little for a short time,” she said. “And once she’s in school, you can’t just pull her out all the time, or she’ll fall behind. If there’s any time to do it, it’s now.”
I hadn’t thought about that before. And, this time next year, V will be in school.
So, I’m excited to say, after putting the pass in my cart and taking it out about a hundred times, we’re officially going to Disneyland on Monday and purchasing a pass. And I feel really good about it! And because I care about how much things cost, I’m using the Target Red Card trick. (It’s not really a trick, but it can save you like $65 on one of the more expensive passes.)
It also values much of what I’ve been craving this year, which is experiences over things. I don’t think we’re a super materialistic family by any means, but we’re definitely not minimalists either. The amount of times I trip on toys or shoes or a misplaced item is about ten times more often than I’d like. It’s gotten so that, now when I hold something I’m considering purchasing in my hands, I flash forward to six months in the future, and imagine it discarded on the floor somewhere. If the vision makes me roll my eyes, or I realize that the packaging has way too much plastic, or in general I just get a gut feeling that it’s not worth it, I put it back.
I gave up Diet Coke earlier this year for the same reason. I looked at my life and asked myself, What is currently my worst contribution to the environment? And I realized, sickeningly, that it was Diet Coke. The plastic lined cups (not recyclable) that I dumped into the trash, day after day. The lids. The chemicals. (I stopped using straws in 2018, because a friend pointed out that straws are stupid.)
I also recently put my kombucha habit on pause for the same reason. The bottles. The shipping. The plastic caps. The disposability. Plus, I know how to make kombucha, so I really can’t justify the cost.
So anyway, I am choosing the Disney choice as a way to have more experiences over things. Not that Disneyland doesn’t have its own environmental impact, which V and I will limit as much as possible with packed lunches, driving there in our Hybrid while in eco mode, and, the hardest part of all, trying not to succumb to the Disney merch.
Anyway, like I said, I promise not to turn this into a Disney blog, but I will likely be posting lots more pictures taken at Disneyland. 🙂
I also have been talking about this so much that I’ve nearly successfully hoodwinked two of my coworkers into getting passes too. 😈
I’m so excited for this special year with my little girl!
small life, slow life 