COUNSELOR'S CORNER: A milieu of love

By Fred Cavaiani Last week my wife and I were at Disney World in Orlando, Florida with one of our daughters, her husband and their two little girls, ages 4 1/2 & 2 1/2. It was a most invigorating and inspiring "vacation." I must have walked about six miles every day. It is different walking through Disney World with grandchildren than it was with our children when our bodies were twenty five years younger. Because we did not have to be the parents with the Third Eye always watching the children I had more time to observe what was happening around me. What an inspiring experience. Love was in the air. Love was everywhere. I spent five days watching parents show amazing warmth and affection to their children. Disney World is a milieu of parental love. Joyful smiles and twinkles in the eye surrounded us. The employees in all the parks and at our hotel radiated smiles and warmth. Watching our grandchildren dance through each day with joy made our hearts light and joyful. It was a privilege to be there with them. These five days bathed in sunlight and love reminded me of how much parents live for their children. Parents use so much energy and sacrifice so much to bring joy to their children. All of us have done this, but to reflect and appreciate this was a whole new experience. Love is really around all of us. It can be so easy to forget this reality. Each of us is surrounded by love at every moment of the day. Even in the midst of pain love is all around - in smiles, warmth, sunlight, food, kind words, quiet places, laughter, profound conversations, kind actions, and simply being able to breathe, eat, sleep, and have clothes on our back. As every part of my body was aching, marching through the various parks in Disney World I experienced this sense of love all around us. The second day of the journey my wife twisted her ankle in a trolley track. Down she went on the main street of the Magic Kingdom. In two seconds there were at least four employees surrounding us with care and concern. Thank God she was all right, no broken bones or sprains. Those employees are trained to be aware and manifest warm and positive concern. I became even more aware that none of us have to be trained to be aware and show warm and positive concern. It is in all of us just waiting to be expressed. Disney World creates an atmosphere that prompts parents and children to express the love that lies inside of each person. It motivates grandparents to frolic and dance and sing and love everyone that passes by. I felt light even when my body ached. Whatever grumpiness resided inside of me had no chance of taking any root watching all the love being expressed around me. I had a whole new appreciation for people with disabilities as I watched the sensitivity of how people in wheelchairs and scooters were treated with such respect and dignity. The physically challenged people came to enjoy the milieu of love also and they were treated with warmth and tenderness. ( Maybe next time I go to Disney World I will rent one of those Scooters.) Every place we travel in life is filled with Love. We just forget to look beneath the surface. The next person we encounter this day is hungering for love and wants to love and be loved. Every plant, flower, cloud, the sun and the moon, the wind and the rain radiates an experience of Love. We just do not always look deeply or carefully to experience the Love that is in everything and in everyone. Five days in Disney World has helped me to realize that Love simply needs to be activated by our actions and our awareness of what is going on around us. I saw Love expressed in many ways during this third week of March, 2011 in the warm climate of Florida and the emotionally loving atmosphere of Disney World. Walt Disney and those who came after him created something that brings people from all over the world to visit and experience a whole new world. They created these wonderful parks, Magic Kingdom, Epcot Center, Animal Kingdom and Disney Hollywood Studios. There is creativity and magic in each park. But the real magic and creativity is the tenderness of parents toward their children and the sparkling, wide-open eyes of both children and adults eager to gaze on what is before them, listening to the music of life and sharing the joy of wonder and excitement with each other. It is easy to forget that life can really be a Disney World for all of us if we look and experience carefully whomever and whatever is around us. I was blessed to be reminded of this during last week's visit to the Loving Milieu of Disney World. I hope to remember that there is a Loving Milieu in every moment of life. ---------------- Fred Cavaiani is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist and Psychologist with a private practice in Troy. He is the founder of Marriage Growth Center, a consultant for the Detroit Medical Center, and Henry Ford Medical Center. He conducts numerous programs for groups throughout Southeastern Michigan. His column in the Legal News runs every other Tuesday. He can be reached at (248)362-3340. His e-mail address is: Fredcavi@yahoo.com and his website is fredthecounselor.com Published: Tue, Mar 29, 2011