Lines

When I was eight years old, I went to Disneyland, and I have a few powerful memories of that trip decades later. For whatever reason, my mind has hung onto riding the tea cups. 

Imagineers design the rides at Disney theme parks. As Disney grew in popularity, the lines grew in length. The ride designers now consider the waiting line part of the overall experience. So, they add elements to get riders in the proper mood. They have the lines wind through visually interesting features or loop back to encourage social interactions. They play music or silly jokes on the radio. These changes were designed to make waiting in line less bothersome and to heighten the mood for the experience. 

As an adult, we took my youngest sister to Morgan’s Wonderland in San Antonio. Morgan’s Wonderland is an “ultra-accessible” amusement park designed for people with special needs and their families and caregivers. Everything is thoughtfully designed to allow people with all different abilities to enjoy an outdoor theme park-type experience fully. The park limits attendance to avoid any lines at all in the park. 

As I look through my life, I still see many long single-file lines that do not consider the experience of the person in line. Most of the time, my lack of attention causes me not to recognize the lines even exist. Sometimes, I need to look at these lines from a Disney point of view and improve the experience of standing in line. Sometimes, I need a Morgan’s Wonderland-type experience and completely remove the need for a line. 

Sometimes, fine-tuning is what is needed to improve the experience. Sometimes, a full overhaul is necessary. 

Where are the lines in my life that I should consider part of the experience? How can I improve them? When should I eliminate the need for a line altogether? 

Be curious, be kind, be whole, do good things.