Hope is the Anthem

It’s no secret that we’re called Cast Members, we wear costumes, and we come back from our breaks to on stage areas of the parks, resorts, water parks, and beyond. Everything from the detail of the buildings on Main Street USA to the sounds pumped into each land is carefully orchestrated and planned— it’s all a part of the show… including the world-renown smiles of our Cast.

I suspect you’re a lot like me.

Yes, we are living out a dream of working at Disney. But we’re also real people— with fears, hurts, stresses, and a fair amount of exhaustion in the midst of often very difficult workdays. The big difference between us and the people working at Walmart is that they’re not often expected to hide those seemingly negative traits. They’re not working cast inside a bigger show— but we are, just like those taking on a persona on a Broadway stage. Walt Disney World is the stage and we are, in effect, the actors.

This leads me to my point, because we’re already all aware of all of that:

No matter who you are,
no matter the pain you’ve been dealing with,
no matter what you’ve been told about yourself,
no matter the depression or anxiety you deal with,

you are loved,
there is hope,
and tomorrow truly can be great, big, and beautiful.

Everyone claims to know that, but many of you need to hear it today.

Maybe you’ve just lost a loved one, and you’re about to head out for a shift you couldn’t give away. Maybe you’re just exhausted and feel like the hamster wheel will never stop spinning. Maybe you’re financially drained and can't seem to get ahead. Or maybe you’re getting older, and you’re wondering if that fairy-tale “happily ever after” love story will ever happen to you.

There is hope.
You are loved, right in the middle of what you’re dealing with.
And tomorrow is just a day away.

Hope is the anthem,

Josh