22 November 2007

This glorious figment of one man's imagination

It is a day to give thanks. But I am not going to bore you with everything that I am thankful for in my life, let’s face it, you don’t know me, personally, well enough to care. I do have to say though, I am extremely grateful for my wife, and for the fact that she actually believes in me, as well as the Main Street Gazette, and believes that I am worthy of her life. So, now, what am I thankful for in the arena of Walt Disney World today, let’s take a look.

I am thankful for a community that thrives on the fact that there are so many of us looking for new information, old information, details, photographs, stories, and histories. No one says, “Don’t read this blog or go to this site,” because everyone wants to build upon what everyone else is doing. We support each other, praise each other, offer advice to one another, and show one another off when they find, or come up with, something truly astounding. A few of the people who have helped me along the way, whether it was by feedback, assisting me in an article, or just by dropping my name onto their site so that others may find me, are George, Ray, Christine, Jeff, and Karen. Drop by their sites, and let them know that you are thankful for their contributions to the Disney community, and for their support of the Main Street Gazette.

I am also thankful for people like Eric Hoffman, who is working hard to make the Main Street Gazette a more beautiful place for you and me.

I am thankful for my family. They introduced me to the Magic in 1981, and have continued to feed my obsession since. Trips as a child were, almost, every single weekend. Even today, they send me articles and books, ask for help in planning their trips, ask me to come along with them on trips, or if they can tag along on mine. It takes a special kind of family to put up with these kinds of things, but it takes a miraculous one to nourish this kind of fascination.

I am thankful to Walt Disney, who created a world that is always changing, always exciting, always full of little stories, both created and organic, and that always feels like a second home. I am thankful that I finally was able to see the original, Disneyland, this year, and that I will return to my home, Walt Disney World, this coming year.

Finally, I am thankful for you. Yes, you, the ones who read this site everyday. There are not a ton of you, but you keep giving me the support to continue doing what I am doing. I hope you enjoy my rants, details, and love that I try to instill in each article. I hope you discover something new, something wonderful, that you had never known before that will make your trips a little more magical, because, each and every day that you stop by, you have made my day a little more magical. So, as long as you don’t stop visiting, I won’t stop writing. Deal?

Have a wonderful day, filled with all the many things you are thankful for.

5 comments:

Greg said...

And a Happy Thanksgiving to you!

Unknown said...

I just want to thank you for the support you have given this little Grump!

Ryan, have a Grumptastic Thankgiving

Unknown said...

Thanks for the shout-out, Ryan!

I agree with your sentiments. We've done a really great job of creating a positive and welcoming Disney community.

And thanks to all of my blogging friends--I can't wait to meet many of you at MouseFest!

Eric Hoffman said...

Hey Ryan - Hope your Thanksgiving was a great one. It was for me and my family. I'm glad for the Disney "fix" your blog and the others you mention give me in between my never often enough trips to WDW.

Ryan P. Wilson said...

I hope everyone's Thanksgiving was fabulous, I know mine was! I wish I could meet some of you at MouseFest, but after my wedding it simply wasn't feasible this year, perhaps next year. And netmongrel, I'm glad we could help you with your fix! We all need them, don't we?