I saw this woman being wheeled around Disneyland this weekend and- I can not lie- it brought a small tear to my eye. In this pic, she's getting ready to ride the revamped SMALL WORLD. I never noticed before, but they have boats that support wheel chairs. Pretty cool.
But so why was I so moved? I'm not really sure. I think it was for a few reasons...
The fact that she can be wheeled down Disneyland Main Street and actually see a town that probably looked very much like the one she lived in as a child is pretty amazing. Main Street in Disneyland is based off small town America from 1890-1910. So if she's 107, she would have been a little kid of about 8 in 1910, running from the old candy shop to the nickelodeon to the train depot. Pretty amazing that to someone like me, Main Street is as much a fantasy as Tomorrowland. But to her, going down Main Street must be like stepping into her past.
I also was moved by the fact that, as I get older, I let my geek flag fly a lot more than I ever did in the past. I was never what you would call a conformist but I certainly struggled at times with society's definitions for what it means to be a man, a dad, a husband, and an adult in general. But there came a point not too long ago where I was like: fuck it, I'm almost 40 and I still love Disneyland. I'm almost 40 and I still read comics and play video games. I'm almost 40 and one of the big highlights of my year is going to Comic Con. And I KNOW that makes me a total geek. But you know what? Doing those things makes me happy!
And so here is this 107 year old woman who seems happy and vibrant and- hell- ALIVE at 107 years! And she chooses to spend her birthday at Disneyland. Not at the old folks home, not sitting around and dying...but at fucking DISNEYLAND! And part of me could not help but think that maybe the REASON she is still alive after 107 years and the reason she seems so HAPPY after 107 years is because she's chosen to follow her gut and her bliss and do things SHE loves versus caring about what society tells her is acceptable.
For me, it was impossible not to be moved by that. I was so grateful that I got to see her.
David
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48 comments:
Dude, there is a good chance she might not have any idea where she is if she is indeed 107. But all the power to her, I suppose.
Trust me, she was totally aware and present. That was what was most amazing about her.
I will never be tired of Disneyland. As long as you have an imagination you have that child magic inside you. And that's really important to never lose. It can make those hard times so much easier. Ok..I'll stop talking like this now
Don't worry Dave...we'll take you to 80's town at Disney Land when your 107 :)
Thats pretty cool
aahh the wonders of life :-P that lady must be having a helluva good time. disneyland/world is such a magical place. if u havent been there u wont know what i mean. am i rite?
David have you ever thought about what it'd be like when you're REALLY old? All your fans would be old too. I wonder if you'd still have your blog.
That's really neat.
Thanks for bringin' a smile to an otherwise crappy day. :)
I had a somewhat similar experience in Disneyland.
2 years ago I was in euro disneyland in France and I saw a blind woman having a time of her life in the haunted mansion and indiana jones ride ect..
I felt so guilty of how I dont cherish some things and get angry with stupid stuff, while a woman who cant see loves every moment of her life so much.
Much respect David.
Luka
My great grandfather was 109 when he dies. I can see a resemblance between her and him in how both are doing their own thing. They are both doing what makes them happy. Maybe we can learn something from the lady.
Well its nice to know that someone of your stature is a geek just like us....
haha david you go to disney a lot
I agree with the "pursuit of happiness" way of doing things.
Though I've never been to Disney Land( and probably never will), I probably wouldn't want to visit a 2009 theme park when Im old.
Dude, you seriously moved me with what you just wrote. You really are an amazing person. I think that's why I like your blog so much. Yeah, you're a famous dude, but you're also real. You're a geek like me and aren't afraid to admit it. Its amazing how much you got just from this old lady being wheeled around. You really do get it man. Thanks!
ahhh! i think i have something in my eye ;)
but that really is amazing. i hope i am like that when i am old, i doubt it though, i always get so mad over stupid things, i guess i take everything for granted, we really can learn a lot from people like this, i am sure she is aware that her days are limited, yet she is happy....man, i envy her
and think she probably has seen disney grow up too, i'm sure she seen the debut of steamboat willie, which is also amazing
wow that is really moving.
Excellent post David!
We all need to follow in what we believe in and sometimes we forget that. This woman is an excellent reminder for that.
Just like what you said about the "videogame" negative conatation(can't spell it right sorry) and that Sony PS video store commercial.
There might be this negative association with videogames but we still enjoy them like people like movies or any other hobby.
This is definitely one of your best posts. I totally agree!
You should watch Happy-Go-Lucky!
you saying "But there came a point not too long ago where I was like: fuck it, I'm almost 40 and I still love Disneyland. I'm almost 40 and I still read comics and play video games. I'm almost 40 and one of the big highlights of my year is going to Comic Con. And I KNOW that makes me a total geek. But you know what? Doing those things makes me happy!"
brought a tear to my eye! Being a man is being able to live with what you have grown to be.
I DEDICATE THIS SONG TO YOU DAVE!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_c6GlcEcoY
P.S. can't wait for the live session!
i wasn't moved by the picture, i was however moved when you mentioned happiness.
can't agree with you more about society's definition of being a man/an adult restricting you frm being truly happy!
damn..they didn't ask my questions.
wow this HAS to be a nominee for best jaffe blog of the year. brought a tear to my eye :(
well said David. I am from Australia and went to Disneyland for the first time last summer and totally fell in love with the place. The misses and I spent the whole day and night there and had an absolute ball. Towards the end of the night I got quite emotional for some reason. I plan on going to DisneyWorld this year, can hardly wait
so.. was watching the show on ufragtv.com for about half an hour but because i have hughesnet with a 400meg daily limit it cut out before you actually even went on. my night was definitely a downer.
i'll catch your next one though, maybe it will work out better.
thats deep jaffski. i almost shed a tear cuz of your post. more videos man!!! you get me through the week!
RE: Jaffe interview
"So David, what do you hate most about fast food joints?"
"I just hate it when they ask if I want fries with everything"
"Wait, so are you confirming you want fries with that?!"
Well, speaking of comics, have you been reading X-Men lately with the whole Messiah War going on? It's been great. Gotta check it out if you haven't.
I think society's definition of true happiness is too skewed to actually be followed seriously nowadays. It seems that the whole "buy a house/nuclear family" mantra is fading fast due to our times being so open to diversify things. I don't know about you but I have this subconscious joy of turning society's expectations on their nose and adopt a non-conformist attitude out of spite and necessity. :)
Pyro, no...I don't intentionally say fuck you to society or anyone else. To me, there is no point.
I just find that my inner desires and creative wants and career and relationship wants are not all that frequently in sync with what I am told I am supposed to be/want.
That said, I think society is built to churn out worker bees and drones in order to keep the top 1% wealthy. So why would I want to do/be any of the things society asks of me ?!? :)
David
I'd hit it!
I keep checking out your blog because I want to get more info on your new game Jaffe.
But I have to say it was nice to hear you talk like this.
If I'd seen this lady enjoying herself my attitude would have been the same, am not going to go into depth or anything but it's touching.
I'm watching Comic Relief at the mo as well.
Anyhow, my hats off to you sir!
Perhaps the best post you've added all year. I couldn't agree with you more. I'm 28 and currently attending law school. Most of my friends are 22-24 and consider me old. They constantly tell me I shouldn't be playing videogames or that I'm too old to watch certain shows or, again, play games. Needless to say I stopped hanging out with these guys. I'm going to live my life. And if a superhero movie or a night of playing video games makes me happy then that's what I'll do. Let that geek flag fly David. Can't wait to hear what the game you're working on is.
I wasn't trying to imply a 'fuck society' attitude but more of non-conventional approaches to life. Like, for example, couples in their 40's/50's not wanting kids even though their is somewhat of a societal pressure to do so.
I think it has to do something with defiance and yeah, I think when you talk to people, you'll find that nowadays a lot of their interests, hobbies, and dreams do not "sync" with the expectations of others.
I am curious though. About how our values and our expectations will change in the next 20 years and how much it will effect the current generations.
Hey man, I was busy reading your blog and then next minute my cat walks over the keyboard and now all the words hav gone really tiny. Its had to read anything now. Hav any idea on what buttons the cat pushed? thanks
Thank you thank you thank you!!! I've tried to search ages for a grown-up who would tell me to do the things I like rather than just follow society and do what seems right. It's "your" life, go ahead and choose, and follow it with a passion. That's my philosophy and I'm currently doing it now. Oh yea sure Junior year in high school is giving me a pain with their loads of tests, projects, essays, and other shit - but I decided that I wanted to make this 45min-1hour film with this other individual and we're both putting our potential into it. If it fails - oh big deal it fails, at least we had FUN doing it - doing something we wanted to do.
Hey Anonomus: If you hold ctrl and press the + = key or the one on its left it zooms in and out. May have been that. ctrl and the zero key should return it to default...if thats your problem.
Hi David !
Thought you might be interested in some Indy goody...
Here's a link to the transcript of the story conference between George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Lawrence Kasdan which gave us the Raiders of the Lost Ark.
http://mysterymanonfilm.blogspot.com/2009/03/raiders-story-conference.html
Enjoy! ;)
FREEDOM FOR GAMERS - Sorry for yelling David, BUT YOU MUST KNOW ABOUT IT. Remember that interview you gave years ago on twist metal 2 telling that if you haven’t to pay your bills you would work for free (Of course I am a fan, that’s why I know about it) SO, your time has come because this will happen and very soon – HAVE NO CLUE WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT? – Today, on the 15th march the Z-Day happens – all over the globe, to tell people how to finally finish with this endless recession and consequently give the gamers the freedom to do what we like to…play games, but not just that – time for game development and resources AT NO COST AT ALL.
THIS WILL BLOW YOUR MIND AS DID TO ME…
What really makes me glad is that your are on politics too and you will know what these people are talking about.
Talk to you latter – F.S.
http://dotsub.com/view/7281f5dc-d4b1-4315-abb7-143becd34f49
FREEDOM FOR GAMERS - Sorry for yelling David, BUT YOU MUST KNOW ABOUT IT. Remember that interview you gave years ago on twist metal 2 telling that if you haven’t to pay your bills you would work for free (Of course I am a fan, that’s why I know about it) SO, your time has come because this will happen and very soon – HAVE NO CLUE WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT? – Today, on the 15th march the Z-Day happens – all over the globe, to tell people how to finally finish with this endless recession and consequently give the gamers the freedom to do what we like to…play games, but not just that – time for Game Development and resources AT NO COST AT ALL.
THIS WILL BLOW YOUR MIND AS DID TO ME…
What really makes me glad is that your are on politics too and you will know what these people are talking about.
Talk to you latter – F.S.
http://dotsub.com/view/7281f5dc-d4b1-4315-abb7-143becd34f49
Sorry for post it twice - browser loading problems :(
"I was so grateful that I got to see her."
Haha. Sorry, that line just gave me an image of the park hiring a 107 year old lady to become a permanent attraction.
Best. Ride. Ever.
...well...maybe not quite...
Jack.
Hey Jaffe, what do you think of Resident Evil 5??
David Jaffe is the man... lol... and this is a pretty amazing story as well... being 107 yrs old is pretty crazy man... Hey Jaffe, I know thsi is off-topic... but have you ever read Contact by Carl Sagan? or watched the movie with Jodie Foster? Have u ever considered making a game around the extraterrestrial subject? You totally outdid yourself on the God Of War story and your take on greek mythology was great so I'd really like to see what you could do the E.T. subject...
Alex- doing a game about space and ETs and all that entails is a dream project for me and I will get to it. Loved Contact, fyi. That's all I will say about it for now :)
David
Great... A game based on the E.T. subject, if given a good storyline, and not the typical "humans are good and must exterminate the evil alien monsters", could be great...
Reminds me of my family's trip to Disney World last December. We rode the Small World ride, and we got to cut through the regular line and into a special handicapped line and boat for my brother. The whole reason we were in Orlando was because of The Dream Factory, an organization in Kentucky like Make-a-Wish that grants wishes to kids with disabilities. My brother has cerebral palsy, and he's always wanted to go see Wheel of Fortune.
They paid for our airfare, our rental cars, and gave us $500 spending money! They even got us Wheel gift bags, and let us get a picture on stage in front of the board at Sea World! Wheel taped 3 shows the day we went, and they take a lot longer than 30 minutes to make! They even had a game rehearsal with a fake Pat and Vanna! A few times, contestants messed up, and they had to tape it again. When you watch the shows, you won't know anything happened!
Anyway, the shows that we saw air all this week. Check your local listings for times and stations. It was so great seeing my brother so happy! He still talks about it today, and he'll probably still talk about it for a long time to come!
I recently went to Disneyland and my goodness. It is amazing, I mean I'm a 20 year old guy. I guess I tend to like violence and heavy music. But wow, Disneyland just makes you forget all of that. Epcot is really awesome. I went in that future ride in the giant ball. Craziest thing ever. I loved the world showcase the most.
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