I've been blogging lately on the theme of people. Since my goal was to tie the blog into Walt Disney or Disney related projects or places, I've been thinking about the social atmosphere of the theme parks as I blog.

Last summer I took a solo trip to the theme parks just to watch the people. I didn't do a study, but I seemed to notice something.

The families who were all decked out in Disney...theme hats, T-shirts, Mickey ears, Bibbity Bobbity Boo do's, pin lanyards seemed to be laughing and smiling more. They seemed to have more of a spring to their step.

I'm not a researcher, so I don't know why that would be. Maybe people who love Disney are just a bit cheerier than others? Maybe someone who would spend so much money on Disney stuff is a little nutty to begin with? Maybe I just noticed these people more because they stood out? Maybe they just decided to do the trip up and were immersed in the excitement?

Please don't bring out the flamethrowers if you disagree, and feel free add your own comments if you agree or have another opinion about this because, as I said, I wasn't doing clinical research here!

BUT, there was something else that I seemed to notice about the Disney Clad Happy Folk......(Drum role, please!)

They seemed to interact more with others. I saw more random greetings as people passed by. I saw more comments or giggles exchanged that were obviously related to silly hats or wearing a celebration pin. I saw lots of oohs and aahs about princesses while parents beamed.

I spent one trip wearing a pink tiara Minnie ear hat complete with veils, and I don't think I EVER enjoyed so many brief exchanges with strangers. There was something about the social tone that made me end each day thinking "Wow, THAT was a great gathering!"

Aside from standing out, maybe these little signals created a common bond that is, well, just uplifting!

Yesterday there were gatherings all over NJ for groups of people who had some common bond. Some were gatherings of people who lived in the same town and others were based around a particular theme that can touch your life and somehow marks you.

There are marks from belonging to groups, choosing certain careers, having certain spiritual beliefs, or being a fanatic of a certain TV personality or show.

Some marks are hard to see AND hard to live with, like the marks on those who have survived a particular illness, lost a loved one to a drunk driver, lived with an abusive personality, battled an addiction, suffered a trauma, or felt the strain of caregiving. There are marks from having children with particular challenges,

A group of about 8 friends joined in with what must have been over a hundred people to celebrate unity. I really only knew my 8 friends, but there was such a bond between everyone in the room. It was just wonderful!

There is something about a gathering of people who share the same hard-to-see mark that is unifying. Strangers smile more, chat in the food line, and are generally more friendly. The warmth was somehow magical, and Ic ould see everyone was happy to be there. The atmosphere reminded me of the same celebratory tone as Walt Disney World!

But I didn't see one set of Mickey ears. So what WAS it?