I Dare You To Be So Amazing
"What's her name?" the pint-sized brunette asked me.
"Alexis," I replied.
"That's a pretty name," the girl with the impossibly long eyelashes said as she leaned forward to get a better look at my partner in line for the Finding Nemo show. "Hi, Alexis!" she continued.
"Momma, how does she know my name?" Alexis whispered suspiciously to me.
"She asked me and I told her," I replied.
"Oh. What's her name?" she asked.
I suggested that Alexis ask the little girl for herself. Minutes later, the two new friends stood holding hands as they chatted happily. They talked about how pretty Alexis' hair looked and how cool the lights in Lily's shoes were and other worldly matters.
Soon the doors opened and it was time to go inside and take our seats for the show. Alexis insisted that she get to sit by Lily. We moved back a few rows for just that reason.
As the puppets danced across the stage telling the story of a little clownfish and his father, the two girls sat smiling and watching in awe. Every once in a while, one or the other would glance to her side and make sure that her new friend was still there and still enjoying the show. Together they laughed at Dory's silliness, gasped at the scary sharks, and cheered when Nemo and Marlin were reunited.
When the lights came on, the new best friends were separated. It was the fault of no one in particular. It was just the sort of thing that happens when a large group of people rush to escape through a small doorway.
As the light from the sun poured over Alexis and me, she began to fret because she couldn't find Lily. Just as I was about to explain that she must have gone to another part of the park, Alexis spotted a familiar bright red shirt amongst a huge crowd of people. She ran towards Lily, dragging me behind her.
"I have something for you!" Alexis told Lily. Her chubby little hand emerged from her pocket holding three shiny pieces of Mickey-shaped confetti. "Have some pixie dust!" Alexis told Lily.
Lily thanked Alexis and the two hugged and said goodbye, likely not knowing that they will probably never see one another again.
I came into the story near the end. It actually began much earlier in the day, aboard a crowded bus on its way to Disney's Animal Kingdom. As Alexis and Mr. Husband waited patiently for the bus to complete the trek, they were befriended by a little girl. The little girl had found some pixie dust on the ground at the Magic Kingdom. She gave it to Alexis as they chatted. Alexis had stuck it in her pocket.
Much later that evening, Alexis explained the pixie dust to me. "I got it from my friend and then I gave it to a new friend and now she'll give it to a new friend and she'll give it to a new friend and she'll give it to a new friend . . . " she continued to weave a tale of little girls making friends and sharing their magical pixie dust with one another.
Go on . . . make a new friend today. Share a little of your own version of magical pixie dust while you're at it. I dare you.
(Unfortunately, I don't have a photograph of Lily. I do, however, have a photograph of Alexis with Isabel, the new friend she shared a little magical pixie dust with today.)
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Reader Comments (30)
Seriously . . . could your kid be any more awesome?! I love that she shared her pixie dust and had the high hopes that it would be passed on and on and on. (Not unlike jumping around the blogging world and leaving comments along the way!)
Thanks for sharing YOUR pixie dust with us. Very sweet. Enjoy your day.
That's right, Alexis, you keep encouraging everyone to pay it forward!
She's amazing. A wonderful story!
Oh, good. I'm glad I didn't put my makeup on yet today. Because I'm not a bit weepy. I'm weepy-weepy. So beautiful. Send Alexis my best today. And maker her give you a big hug for being so darn awesome.
It's nice to start the day with a big smile and a dash of pixie dust.
Thanks for sharing Alexis' awesomeness with us. Put a smile on my face.
That is so sweet!! I cant wait for my daughter to be a lil bigger so she can go on her own lil friend making adventure!!
too cute!!
That kid just makes me smile from the inside out.
That's so cool that she "gets it" at this age.
I think that says a lot about her mama :-)
Your kid is totally cool.
Too sweet.
Secret Agent A?
Thanks for sharing. It helped me get through today. Thank you and thank Alexis for spreading a little pixie dust to all of us today. I will make sure I pass some of my portion to someone today.
i love this! it's my favorite post of yours, ever!
first, i love this story. alexis is a spectacular person who reminds us all what it means to be a good friend.
second, those girl scout cookies you are holding for me are like pixie dust and i promise to share them.
:)
much love to you and your kindhearted daughter!
That. Is so sweet.
I thought it was going another way.
One day at the beach the Kid was playing by himself and I told him to go over to a couple little boys and play with them. He told me he didn't want to make any more friends that he'd never see again. He was 3. It was so sad.
How incredibly sweet! Time to spread some pixie dust...
My cousin, Kim Z sent me a link to this story. It inspires me; after 28 years of making magic at Walt Disney world, I'm heading out for work today with a little extra pixie dust to share with our wonderful Guests; Guests like Lily, Alexis, and you.
Have a magical day!
Look at her being all brave and outgoing! Disney World IS magic!! :)
That's such a great story. Alexis is awesome. Kids seem to instinctually know how to pay it forward, don't they?
Sometimes I think my kids miss out on this because they each seem to have a built-in best friend who is always with them on vacations like yours. Not that they don't make friends with other children when we're out and about, but I think they tend to intimidate because there's so many of them.
Alexis is amazing. I'll be sure to keep some pixie dust in my pocket in case of emergency. Or if I just need to make a friend. :)
Sweet story. We could all learn a lot from our kids.
Love. That's all I have to say.
Joel's mom has gotten her share of that Pixie Dust. Thanks for a wonderful story!
Wow. Seriously...WOW. You have an AMAZING aazing kid.
I'd have something way better to say if my kid didn't keep me up all night and I wasn't a zombie this morning, but know this: you're doing something right.
That made me cry. How incredibly sweet! Your kid is awesome.
huge ((sigh))
kids are so awesome
I meant to comment on this a week ago, but I love how kids make friends everywhere. It's such a sweet story.
Awww, that is the sweetest thing I've heard in a long time. Sweet little Alexis as already learned to "Pay it Forward" something many adults don't know how to do. Inspires me to go do the very same thing with my girls. Thanks, Alexis! : )