Best Job Ever...

I had more neat experiences today! I love my job!!

I jumped between Grouper (the person who asks “how many in your party” and then tells you where to sit) and Load (the person who stands there and waves at you as they send you into the dangers of the roller coaster with nothing but a little lap bar to keep you in) tonight. I was pressing my buttons as usual and smiling and waving more than anyone in the place, and this lovely southern lady came through with a huge group of people. One of her friends got in before her and she was pointing at me and telling her to notice how happy I was. “If everyone were as happy as she is I’d never worry about getting on another roller coaster in my life.” Ah! It made me even happier than I already was! Every time I started feeling tired tonight I thought of that lady and kept smiling and waving. By the time the night was over my wrist was sore I’d waved so much.

Another time I was also at Load and this family of four through. I got the group in front of them onto the ride and the mom leaned over to her son and I heard her tell him that he had nothing to worry about and that the kids in front of him were way younger than he was. I was confused at first but then I started loading the little boy and his family. The little boy was white as a ghost and absolutely scared to go on the ride. I had a few extra seconds before I had to send off their rocket so I went over and helped him push down his lap bar and got down on my knee next to him and he was looking at me. I told him that this ride didn’t go any faster than his car at home. In fact his car at home goes twice as fast as this little ride. I promised him that he would be okay and went back to my station. The little boy wasn’t as excited as I’ve seen little boys be about this ride, but he absolutely lit up. He didn’t look scared anymore! I completely forgot to look at his parents, and I have no idea if that little boy actually enjoyed the ride, but I felt good about being able to make him feel a little better.

There was another little boy named Ryan who came through with his dad while I was Grouper and it was his birthday. He turned seven, and I let him sit right in front. :) Tonight I had kisses blown at me, one guy called me sexy, and I had little kids practically jumping out of their seats to wave back at me. This job is so much more wonderful when you just put in a little extra effort to make people smile. It’s exhausting, but it should be. Brother Bates told me once that at the end of a rehearsal you should be dead on your feet because acting is physically and emotionally draining. If I’m being paid to be an actor here, then it’s the same kind of thing. It doesn’t matter what’s going on in the outside world, when you’re onstage that’s your life, those are you feelings, and you do whatever your director tells you to do. My director, Walt Disney, said I should make dreams come true. Being one of at least 40 working Space Mountain there’s not a lot I can do, but I’ll do the very best I can to make his show what he wanted it to be.

Have I told everyone yet that I love my job? I do. I love it. It’s perfect for me.