Monday, February 15, 2021

President's Day 2021

Happy President's Day!  This is a bit different... I can't say that I've ever posted about celebrating President's Day here on my blog.  It's usually a day that passes us by unnoticed for the most part.  Although a federal holiday, it's not a day that Eliot gets off from his job.  (I also didn't get it off when I worked at the chiropractic office.)

However, given the events of the past few months, this year, I'm acknowledging it a bit more than usual.  It's amazing the position of power that we give to one man (hopefully someday a woman) over our country and our government.  It's incredible, and also completely terrifying, how much power that person possesses.  One could easily argue that the President of the United States is the most powerful person in the world.

I've always held our presidents, and the office that they hold, in great respect.  The Hall of Presidents at the Magic Kingdom was always sacred ground.  As a child, I can remember being in complete awe while looking at the fenced off carpet with the presidential seal.  Much like my feelings of reverence for Washington D.C., I've held Liberty Square in a different place in my heart.  While still part of my favorite theme park, it's also a place that celebrates our country's history with pride.

Unfortunately, over the past few years the presidential attraction of Liberty Square has become a bit of a joke.  Eliot and I were at Walt Disney World for the Princess Half Marathon Weekend two years ago in February of 2019.  During that trip, we happened to find ourselves at the Magic Kingdom on President's Day.  I told Eliot that we should go see the show since we weren't sure if we'd ever have a trip lined up again.

It was crazy how full and passionate people were that day.  At first, I was pleased with how many people were there to pay their respects to our presidents on the day meant to celebrate them.  Then, the show started and cheers and boos erupted from both sides of the political aisle.  Part of me was amused, part of me was terrified and part of me was sad.  While it was amusing to see park guests get so worked up about audio-animatronic figures, these represent real men in our history.  They represent the real leaders of our country- from founding fathers right up to the present.

I get it to a degree; I'll be the first to admit that I have not gone to watch the Hall of Presidents show as often as I usually would the past few years.  I know there was a lot of chatter about adding our most recent former president to it's sacred halls.  I wasn't exactly thrilled at the thought myself, but I would never expect Disney to leave one of our presidents out.  Whether or not we, the guest, like a particular president's politics or not, these men were all sitting Presidents of the United States of America.

This President's Day, I have decided to celebrate all of our presidents- regardless of their politics and my feelings about them as individuals.  Today, I celebrate the men who have shaped our country into where we are today.  May we learn and grow from each of their time in that sacred office, and may our country continue to grow and prosper under the care of our future presidents.  °o°

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