Latest / The Wholehearted Enneagram Podcast / Enneagram, Giggles, Tears, and Disneyland | Part 2 of The Fifth Anniversary Special

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Enneagram, Giggles, Tears, and Disneyland | Part 2 of The Fifth Anniversary Special · The Wholehearted Enneagram Podcast

0:03
SPEAKER_01: Hi, I'm Amy Wicks, a Jesus and Enneagram enthusiast.
0:07
SPEAKER_01: As a wife, mom of three humans, and a fur baby, I get it.
0:12
SPEAKER_01: Juggling entrepreneurship in a family is challenging, but I believe the Lord does want your work to be enjoyable.
0:20
SPEAKER_01: As an Enneagram type 7, I am all about the fun factor.
0:24
SPEAKER_01: And this podcast is here to help you put the joy back into working mom life.
0:29
SPEAKER_01: So you can see 1 Timothy 6.17 come to pass in your own thing.
0:35
SPEAKER_01: It's a verse that says that God has given us all things to enjoy.
0:39
SPEAKER_01: All friends, it means all.
0:42
SPEAKER_01: Motherhood, work from home life, or work out of the home life.
0:46
SPEAKER_01: With the Lord's help, there's truly a way to feel calm, balance, joy, clarity, and peace in any arena of life.
0:56
SPEAKER_01: Welcome to the Simply Wholehearted Podcast, where you can expect solo-style and interview-style episodes that are full of faith-based concepts, simple ideas, Enneagram insights, alongside practical tips to help you put that smile back on your face when it comes to doing life with Jesus.
1:16
SPEAKER_01: Now get your headphones and head to that big pile of dishes in the sink, or maybe that bathroom that needed cleaning two weeks ago.
1:26
SPEAKER_01: And let's get to learning together.
1:36
SPEAKER_01: If you missed out on part one, you will definitely want to go back to episode 238 for context to this behind the scenes look at my family.
1:47
SPEAKER_01: And when I say behind the scenes, I mean transparent, clearly candid look at my family.
1:55
SPEAKER_01: Now, if it's been a little bit since you've listened to part one because that does happen, here's a quick recap.
2:02
SPEAKER_01: My family was insanely goofy behind the mic.
2:05
SPEAKER_01: There were lots of giggles.
2:07
SPEAKER_01: And in part one, I gave a few Enneagram highlights about my family, and then they got to share about their anticipation for our big family trip to Disneyland.
2:17
SPEAKER_01: I also provided some insight into my heartfelt struggle about celebration, what it looks like to have missed expectations, and my honest thoughts about how the recording of this celebration episode panned out.
2:31
SPEAKER_01: So if you missed part one, aka episode 238, now is your chance to go back and listen because this episode probably won't make much sense without it.
2:42
SPEAKER_01: For the second part of this celebration, I thought I would share a little personal background on why this trip to Disneyland was such a big deal to us, or at least a big deal to me.
2:53
SPEAKER_01: Welcome to Storytime with Amy.
2:57
SPEAKER_01: Well, if you didn't know, I was born and lived my elementary years in sunny Southern California, and I spent the remaining of my adolescent years traveling back and forth to California because that's where all the extended family lived, really south of LA.
3:12
SPEAKER_01: And that's also where Disneyland is.
3:16
SPEAKER_01: Yes, we would go to Disneyland as often as possible as a kid, and understandably, it really became this carefree zone of a million special moments.
3:26
SPEAKER_01: I do think I enjoyed Disneyland so much throughout my youth because it was a constant storehouse of positive memories in my childhood.
3:35
SPEAKER_01: Do you have a place like that?
3:36
SPEAKER_01: You know, that special place that houses those distinct childhood memories.
3:41
SPEAKER_01: Maybe it's your parents' home or a grandparent's home that is still in the family.
3:46
SPEAKER_01: My theory is that because we could visit Disneyland, unlike any of our childhood homes, this place became the go-to for revisiting special childhood memories.
3:57
SPEAKER_01: Plus, when I was an adult, Spencer and I had our first date in Disneyland.
4:03
SPEAKER_01: I know that's a whole nother story that I'll tell someday, but just for the record, a Gibson Girl mint chocolate chip ice cream sundae is not just tasty, it is first date food.
4:15
SPEAKER_01: So not only do I have family in Southern California, but I also have had a strong desire to share all these unique places and childhood experiences with my kids.
4:24
SPEAKER_01: I mean, of course, we want to do that as parents, right?
4:27
SPEAKER_01: But as you can imagine, flying five people west, as in from Kansas City to California, it's pricey.
4:36
SPEAKER_01: Plus, you tack on travel expenses, the fun touristy stuff in Disneyland.
4:41
SPEAKER_01: Well, that price tag is not just out.
4:44
SPEAKER_01: It's boing.
4:46
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so I've shared before, and I actually shared specifically in episode 120, that Spencer and I highly value paying cash for everything because we have followed the financial peace plan and it did save our marriage.
5:00
SPEAKER_01: We knew that following that plan would mean it would take quite a bit of time to save enough for a trip like this.
5:07
SPEAKER_01: But we did save.
5:08
SPEAKER_01: And after a few years of saving and even finding some free lodging because of family, thankfully, we finally did save enough.
5:17
SPEAKER_01: But then COVID happened and more COVID and shutdowns and all the things.
5:23
SPEAKER_01: But now, finally, it's 2022, things are opening up, thank the Lord.
5:29
SPEAKER_01: We were able to book the flights, we bought the Disney tickets, and my aunt and uncle readied their open rooms.
5:37
SPEAKER_01: Now, nothing held us back except the reality of taking five very opinionated people to a place where all your dreams are supposed to come true.
5:48
SPEAKER_01: No pressure, right?
5:50
SPEAKER_01: Well, if you've been to Disney, you know exactly what I'm talking about.
5:54
SPEAKER_01: The investment, the lines, the choices, all the things.
5:58
SPEAKER_01: And our kids aren't little anymore.
6:00
SPEAKER_01: They are fully opinionated teenagers.
6:03
SPEAKER_01: And this is where the conversation gets fun.
6:05
SPEAKER_01: Because as you heard in part one of the anniversary special, my kids' expectations were huge.
6:11
SPEAKER_01: And honestly, I think I only captured a sliver of their detailed dreams and plans in the last recording.
6:17
SPEAKER_01: I mean, my middle daughter drew and circled on the Disney park maps, planning out precisely the routes we would take and in what order we would ride the rides, on the attractions, and the food steps along the way.
6:28
SPEAKER_01: I mean, this was serious.
6:30
SPEAKER_01: My family was going to be ready to take in every single experience they could possibly cram in in the 12 or 15 hours we had in the park.
6:40
SPEAKER_01: But as you know, things do not always go according to plan.
6:44
SPEAKER_01: So, what does a family of five opinionated people do when things don't go well?
6:49
SPEAKER_01: Well, I would hope that there would be a graceful pivot, but instead you will hear what actually took place.
6:57
SPEAKER_01: In this episode, you're going to hear how the different Enneagram personality types respond to change and how flexible or not they are when it comes to making group decisions.
7:07
SPEAKER_01: And there's some other fun Enneagram moments to look for, like when my probably Enneagram 3 son recounted a story with a bit of embellishment and exaggeration.
7:17
SPEAKER_01: And in response to his storytelling, my Enneagram 8 daughter was very blunt and did not sugarcoat things when she told him he was wrong.
7:26
SPEAKER_01: You'll also hear how my Enneagram 9 hubby was fine going along with others' preferences until it really wasn't fine and his opinion really needed to matter.
7:36
SPEAKER_01: And then you'll hear how my Enneagram 7 daughter felt when the fun was over.
7:52
SPEAKER_01: Oh, and one more thing.
7:53
SPEAKER_01: There are way less giggles in part two than there was in part one.
7:57
SPEAKER_01: Nyla and I did edit out a few moments, but the whole crew was a little bit more comfortable with the mic, so I'm glad to say there are fewer giggles.
8:07
SPEAKER_01: Also, I'd love to have you stay after this conversation to hear a little bit more candid insight about my experience there in the park and well the reason why I cried my way through the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction?
8:32
SPEAKER_01: Are we going to have hysterical laughter?
8:34
SPEAKER_01: Or are we gonna be able to answer with a straight face?
8:37
SPEAKER_01: Miles, how come you have fear of the mic and podcast recording?
8:43
SPEAKER_02: Uh it's just not fun to me.
8:47
SPEAKER_01: Why?
8:48
SPEAKER_02: Why?
8:49
SPEAKER_02: Um because uh because it's just like I just don't want to do this right now.
9:03
SPEAKER_02: I would like to do other stuff and okay.
9:09
SPEAKER_01: Now that we have gotten to have the Disney experience, there was a lot of anticipation leading up to this moment.
9:16
SPEAKER_01: Even the idea of like, oh, could we ever go to Disney or Disneyland?
9:21
SPEAKER_01: Would we please?
9:22
SPEAKER_01: But now we've done it.
9:23
SPEAKER_01: Now a week ago, we were at the park, our legs were very tired.
9:29
SPEAKER_01: Uh we were probably kind of hungry, our heads were a little rattly.
9:33
SPEAKER_01: It we weren't too hot though, and we really weren't too cold.
9:37
SPEAKER_01: We were just right.
9:38
SPEAKER_01: We had had a lot of good experiences.
9:40
SPEAKER_01: So just gonna recap a little bit about first of all, the question is gonna be what how did your experience of the park compare to your the expectation of being at the park?
9:58
SPEAKER_02: Um, this is Paige.
10:00
SPEAKER_02: Um, I would say um for sure it was definitely all I thought it was gonna be, and in more because there is so much more um than you know, instead of just watching videos, you can't see how magical and amazing it is just through like a screen that you have to really be there and experience it.
10:20
SPEAKER_02: And that is it was all, you know, all I thought, and even more than that.
10:29
SPEAKER_02: Um I would say one of my favorite rides uh was man, I would say the rise of the resistance, it was just so immersive and creative, and I felt like I was in the movie and I had some part to play in some cool Star Wars story.
10:49
SPEAKER_02: So I thought I you know, I was just fantastic.
10:51
SPEAKER_02: The builder, like the idea, the people who created it, just so like amazing overall and immersive.
10:58
SPEAKER_02: So yeah.
11:11
SPEAKER_00: Had really fun family memories that were made.
11:16
SPEAKER_00: So yeah.
11:17
SPEAKER_00: I didn't have a lot of expectation kind of coming in, but what I did have matched up pretty close to how things actually played out.
11:26
SPEAKER_00: My favorite ride was Rise of the Resistance and probably Little Mermaid with Haiti.
11:41
SPEAKER_02: Um, this is Mao's and I love I I loved it.
11:46
SPEAKER_02: It was really fun.
11:48
SPEAKER_02: And we gotta go to California Venture too, and uh one of my favorite rides on the California venture was Gardens of the Galaxy.
11:57
SPEAKER_02: And in Disneyland, probably Rise of the Ristons too.
12:00
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it's kind of all This is Haiti, and when I thought about Disneyland, I was just thinking about how much fun it would be to do as a family and all the things we would get to do and just experience it because we went when we were little, but I don't remember it, so it doesn't count.
12:23
SPEAKER_02: But it was really, really fun, and it would be really fun to get to go back again, maybe with as a girl trip or something.
12:32
SPEAKER_02: And yeah, it was awesome.
12:36
SPEAKER_02: And I would probably say my favorite ride was well in California Adventure my favorite ride was the Radiator Racers.
12:46
SPEAKER_02: It was really fun, just it was a slower roller coaster-ish.
12:52
SPEAKER_02: It goes fast and ish, but it has enough adrenaline that was fun.
12:58
SPEAKER_02: And in Disneyland, that one is hard.
13:03
SPEAKER_02: There's a few.
13:03
SPEAKER_02: I really liked The Rise of the Resistance and I loved Matterhorn Bobsleds.
13:09
SPEAKER_02: I liked the Indiana Jones one.
13:12
SPEAKER_01: And all of them.
13:16
SPEAKER_01: Now no one has mentioned all the times we got stuck on a ride or had to wait for a stuck ride.
13:24
SPEAKER_01: Anyone wanna comment on that experience?
13:28
SPEAKER_02: Well, we got stuck on two rides, and there was about six four four breakdowns right before uh right in front of us.
13:39
SPEAKER_02: Uh two of them.
13:41
SPEAKER_02: Well one of them was Radio Eraser Ray Radio Erasers, cars one.
13:50
SPEAKER_02: And we got stuck on that one because it it was about to go, but then it c it broke down.
13:55
SPEAKER_02: And then we got this we stuck we got stuck on um Space Mountain think.
13:59
unknown: Thunder Mountain.
14:00
SPEAKER_02: Thunder Mount Thunder Mountain.
14:02
SPEAKER_02: And we got stuck sideways when we were going up the hill.
14:07
SPEAKER_02: Going up the hill.
14:08
SPEAKER_02: So technically not sideways, but going up the hill.
14:11
SPEAKER_02: Um we just got f we got stuck on four ones that was going like about we were about to go on, but like got practically stuck, which was um this new Spider-Man one in California Adventure.
14:27
SPEAKER_02: Whipslingers.
14:28
SPEAKER_02: Web Slingers.
14:29
SPEAKER_02: Um The Ferris Wheel.
14:32
SPEAKER_02: There's this big really f a big Ferris wheel.
14:36
SPEAKER_02: One of the Guardians of the Galaxy in the beginning.
14:39
SPEAKER_02: And there's this one more.
14:43
SPEAKER_01: Um Hatie, you you say that he maybe has some misinformation there.
14:51
SPEAKER_01: Do you want to correct him real quick?
14:53
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
14:53
SPEAKER_02: We only actually got stuck on two rides.
14:56
SPEAKER_02: There was a few delays on getting onto the rides, but that doesn't count.
15:00
SPEAKER_02: We got stuck on radiator racers.
15:04
SPEAKER_02: They were about to race, and then we waited there for maybe five, ten minutes.
15:08
SPEAKER_02: Any electronic malfunction for um maintenance and um yeah, maintenance malfunctions.
15:16
SPEAKER_02: And then on Thunder Mountain, we got a rare in-show exit due to somebody trying to stand up, I believe, in the one of the coasters.
15:27
SPEAKER_02: We were actually we were on the lift on going up, and then they all of a sudden stopped and we were laying like We were inclined.
15:37
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, we were we were at a very a very big incline, stuck there for like twenty minutes maybe.
15:44
SPEAKER_02: It was a long time, and it was really hot too, since we were up in the sun, and it was just yeah, very hot up there.
15:51
SPEAKER_02: So yeah.
15:53
SPEAKER_01: But we got a fast pass.
15:55
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, but then we got a fast pass.
15:57
SPEAKER_01: And it was a cool view.
15:58
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, there was a pretty cool view, even though it wasn't that high up.
16:03
SPEAKER_01: Okay, Spencer, I'm gonna ask you what was it like to make decisions within our family for what rides we go on and some things like that.
16:15
SPEAKER_00: Oh, I didn't make any decisions.
16:19
SPEAKER_00: This was purely probably you and Paige's decision making that I we just followed along with.
16:27
SPEAKER_00: So I think um but I was happy to go on whatever rides you guys were wanting to go on.
16:34
SPEAKER_00: I think it was important to you all to to do certain things, and so we we accommodated.
16:42
SPEAKER_00: I would say that I did make a decision maybe midday on our second day that to do a certain part of the park so we could hit a couple rides, but that was about it.
16:53
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, you you asserted your like you um wanted to do jungle cruise, and so like you asserted your opinion when you wanted to actually do it.
17:02
SPEAKER_02: I don't know.
17:04
SPEAKER_00: Other than that, I was just excited to to be with everybody and watch everybody have fun.
17:10
SPEAKER_01: I would say we had one minor debacle at the beginning of day two when it came to making a decision about a ride.
17:19
SPEAKER_01: Anyone want to give their perspective of the event?
17:26
SPEAKER_02: Okay, so this is page just by the way.
17:28
SPEAKER_02: Here's the thing.
17:30
SPEAKER_02: Rise of the resistance is very popular, not just because it's new, but because it is amazing.
17:36
SPEAKER_02: But and so the thing is when the rope dropped, everyone wanted to go to Rise of the Resistance.
17:43
SPEAKER_02: Everyone.
17:45
SPEAKER_02: And so that meant every ride in the park had a zero wait time.
17:51
SPEAKER_02: And so I was with Haiti and my dad, and we we saw that everyone was going to the same ride, and so we decided to abort the plan and go to Haunted Mansion because we literally walked on, but that didn't go so well because my mom, meantime, my mom and my brother um were trying to find his shoe because some lady stepped on his shoe and it fell off, and so he had to um go get it in the midst of the mob of the people wanting to ride the same ride, and so they got in line, and um my great aunt was already in line with us uh for us, and so we met them in line, but there was definitely not some happiness about our um plan B.
18:48
SPEAKER_01: In the end, we all got to ride Rise of the Whe Resistance together, so it worked out, and and you three, Paige, Haiti, and Spencer got a bonus ride while Miles and I waited in line.
19:01
SPEAKER_01: So it did work out.
19:02
SPEAKER_01: Miles, how do you feel about it?
19:04
SPEAKER_02: I was I was just kinda a little mad because I had to stay in line and it wasn't really that fun, but it it took about 30 minutes, surprisingly, even though it was like way out of the line.
19:18
SPEAKER_02: Like it was about it looked like it was gonna be like an hour and a half or two, but it was surprisingly 30 minutes, so and would you say the wait was worth it?
19:28
SPEAKER_01: Definitely.
19:31
SPEAKER_01: Well, that about sums up our trip in general.
19:35
SPEAKER_01: There was definitely some who had really high expectations and thankfully was met, some who really didn't have a whole lot of expectations, just general anticipation for our time together and fun memories made.
19:49
SPEAKER_01: And making decisions because some were a little bit more flexible than others, it kind of came easy.
19:55
SPEAKER_01: I did want to clarify, Spencer, do you think that Paige and I made most of the decisions, or was Haiti one of those who had a strong opinion about what we did?
20:05
SPEAKER_00: It was difficult to tell because I was just trailing behind everybody.
20:09
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
20:09
SPEAKER_00: Uh no, it was probably equally between the three of you, girls making the decisions.
20:15
SPEAKER_02: Most of the time, Miles were like, didn't do anything.
20:18
SPEAKER_00: Miles and I just kind of went along with the group.
20:23
SPEAKER_01: I'm curious to know from of a a genuine curiosity, at that moment, if you had asserted your opinion and sharing, hey, I'd really like to go to these couple of rides and these are valuable to me, because it's valuable to you, it's valuable to me, and I know that if you're gonna say something, then I I try to pay attention and and go along with what it is that you desire.
20:48
SPEAKER_01: Um, but I'd be kind of curious to know if we didn't choose to do it at that moment, how would would that have impacted your time there?
20:57
SPEAKER_01: Would have that been in the back of your mind that we weren't doing it, uh or would you have just not even given it another thought?
21:04
SPEAKER_01: And this is from an Egram 9 perspective, I'm curious about.
21:08
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think it would have affected me.
21:11
SPEAKER_00: Um I felt like I wasn't asking for a whole lot.
21:13
SPEAKER_00: There were a couple of things that I wanted to do, and felt like we were close enough to to the to that area of the park um when we finished doing what everybody else wanted to do that it made sense to go over there.
21:28
SPEAKER_00: So I would have been at least, at the very least, wanting to figure out a time when we could do it later on in the day.
21:38
SPEAKER_01: Okay, anything else you'd like to share about your experience that you think is fun to share, or uh anything that you didn't get to do that you hope to do next time or wish you could have done Um in Star Wars Land at Disneyland, um, there's this thing called blue milk and it just sounded really good.
22:00
SPEAKER_02: But I it was a little expensive, so I just decided not to do it.
22:04
SPEAKER_02: But that was like one of the things I was pretty excited about, but it's okay.
22:10
SPEAKER_02: Oh yeah, and then um I bought this uh thing, souvenir.
22:16
SPEAKER_02: It was a race stick.
22:17
SPEAKER_02: It was just like a Star Wars race stick.
22:20
SPEAKER_02: It it was pretty good.
22:22
SPEAKER_02: Or pretty cool, I mean.
22:24
SPEAKER_01: So yeah.
22:26
SPEAKER_01: And you may or may not have played with it every day since you got it, right?
22:30
SPEAKER_01: Um sort of at least half of it.
22:34
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
22:38
SPEAKER_02: This is the middle child.
22:41
SPEAKER_02: And I hate my name, so I'm not gonna say it again.
22:45
unknown: Aww.
22:46
SPEAKER_02: My dad's giving me bad looks because he named me wrong and he's just embarrassed.
22:56
SPEAKER_02: It was a spelling error, and they just went with it.
23:00
SPEAKER_02: It was finalized and they just went with the spelling error.
23:07
SPEAKER_02: They meant to put Haley, but instead dad was like, mom mom was just so tired from giving birth to me.
23:14
SPEAKER_02: She was just like, This is Haiti, and I am really happy with what with everything that came out.
23:36
SPEAKER_02: I know that there's a few people who went well go once and that's they're okay with only going once.
23:45
SPEAKER_02: But as for us girls, we would really like to go again, and I think that would be fun to get to experience a little bit more because I when we went it felt like we had to get everything done, but then I started to realize, oh, maybe us girls might go again sometime.
24:04
SPEAKER_02: So I was very happy with all the souvenirs I got.
24:08
SPEAKER_02: I mean, I could always have gotten more, and I would be happy with more, but um, I'm really happy with the amount that I got and all the fun treats I got to try.
24:19
SPEAKER_02: And I think it would be fun to go back again and try some new stuff and get some more things and make some new memories.
24:29
SPEAKER_02: Um, this is Paige.
24:30
SPEAKER_02: I would say that um I definitely felt like um I didn't have enough time to do everything I wanted to, and I would definitely say um DCA could be done in one day pretty easily.
24:46
SPEAKER_02: Um, but Disneyland should have at least two days to enjoy it because there's so many fun things to just to experience there, just walking around even.
24:58
SPEAKER_02: Um yeah, just being in that park, you know, it's so fun.
25:04
SPEAKER_02: And I would yeah, definitely say another day.
25:06
SPEAKER_02: Um I was really happy with the time we spent there though.
25:11
SPEAKER_02: We were able to finish most of the things.
25:13
SPEAKER_02: Sadly, we didn't get to Toontown, which won't be the same after this year because um they're redoing it.
25:20
SPEAKER_02: Anyways, um I yeah, I was just happy with everything.
25:24
SPEAKER_02: I would say though that um someone needs to expand their bladder because we stopped to go to the bathroom so many times.
25:35
SPEAKER_02: And that's where two hours of my day went.
25:41
SPEAKER_01: Guilty as charged, I'll blame it on three children.
25:45
SPEAKER_01: One little one little question.
25:48
SPEAKER_01: About halfway through the day, I looked over to you and we had only gotten a certain amount of rides done.
25:55
SPEAKER_01: We looked at what time it was, we knew the park was closing a little bit earlier than the typical time frame.
26:01
SPEAKER_01: What was your thought when you realized, oh my goodness, I'm running out of time.
26:06
SPEAKER_01: I don't think I'm gonna be able to do everything that I wanted to do.
26:09
SPEAKER_02: I would honestly just I was like, oh no, oh no, it's like already over because I hate it when like the fun is over, but I was realizing how quickly it went.
26:18
SPEAKER_02: Um, and I was I was feeling stressed out almost, even though I didn't really need to.
26:24
SPEAKER_02: I definitely felt stress and anxiety, and I was like, oh no, we won't get to do all of this.
26:29
SPEAKER_02: And um yeah, that's defin I just I felt stressed and anxious and I was I was sad I guess that was yeah.
26:41
SPEAKER_01: Last but not least, would you like to go again?
26:45
SPEAKER_01: Uh a hundred percent yes.
26:47
SPEAKER_02: If I could live there or work there, I would.
26:51
SPEAKER_02: Like that is the most magical place on earth.
26:54
SPEAKER_00: I would go again if everybody wanted to go, but I would prefer not to.
27:01
SPEAKER_02: I'm staying with my dad.
27:03
SPEAKER_02: I would go, or I probably I would go if everybody else wanted to go, but uh I don't really care, but there I like California.
27:14
SPEAKER_02: It's a pretty cool place.
27:16
SPEAKER_02: It's got a good ocean.
27:18
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
27:19
SPEAKER_01: If you had to pick hunting or Disneyland?
27:23
SPEAKER_01: Hunting.
27:26
SPEAKER_01: It's free too.
27:28
SPEAKER_02: Um I would absolutely not want to go back.
27:40
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I would love to go back again.
27:43
SPEAKER_02: It was really fun, and I think it would be even more fun if we went as just girls.
27:50
SPEAKER_02: I think would be fun.
27:55
SPEAKER_02: And it would just be really fun.
27:57
SPEAKER_02: Maybe we could go with aunties and memes and go back to California and hang out with um an aunt girl again.
28:06
SPEAKER_02: So that would be really fun.
28:08
SPEAKER_02: I think to go back again and get to do a few of the things that we didn't end up doing.
28:17
SPEAKER_01: Oh my, oh my.
28:19
SPEAKER_01: Well, friend, I do sincerely hope that this was a fun diversion from all the things.
28:26
SPEAKER_01: I know there's so much brokenness in the world right now, and it feels like everything is on fire, but I pray that this was a beautiful diversion.
28:34
SPEAKER_01: I would love to hear what experience you've had at a Disney park or if this conversation makes you want to hop down to Florida or over to California to visit the magical kingdom.
28:45
SPEAKER_01: I'd love to hear from you.
28:46
SPEAKER_01: You can send me a direct message on Instagram or email me at wholeheartedineagram at gmail.com with your answer.
28:54
SPEAKER_01: Now, being in California was such a gift to me.
28:58
SPEAKER_01: And being in Disneyland, well, it touched a little girl deep inside that needed fun, frivolty, and deep laughter.
29:06
SPEAKER_01: For me, this last year was filled with so many tears, so much grief and loss.
29:12
SPEAKER_01: But another beautiful thing I've learned in this hardship is that it is possible to hold joy and sorrow simultaneously.
29:20
SPEAKER_01: You can miss a long for what was while celebrating what is now.
29:27
SPEAKER_01: I've also grown in greater understanding of what goodness is, and the Lord alone has provided a sense of contentment, and he has shown me what it looks like to receive the good of life, even with the heart.
29:40
SPEAKER_01: As we entered the dark ride at Disney, which we affectionately have dubbed pirates, the sounds, the sights, and the smells flooded my senses with memories.
29:49
SPEAKER_01: It took me clear back to a time of being four years old, and I was sitting there thrilled to be on this big kid ride with older cousins and my whole extended family.
30:00
SPEAKER_01: But then as I sat there last month, it hit me.
30:05
SPEAKER_01: The family I knew as a child is no longer and what I thought it once was.
30:13
SPEAKER_01: Some of those family members have gone to heaven and others have been lost due to their unaddressed pain and addictions.
30:22
SPEAKER_01: And my parents, well, you see, my parents got divorced this year.
30:31
SPEAKER_01: It's been a long, slow death.
30:35
SPEAKER_01: A death without a funeral.
30:38
SPEAKER_01: On January 21st, 2022, the courts finalized the end of my parents' 43 years of marriage.
30:47
unknown: Wow.
30:49
SPEAKER_01: Saying this is so hard.
30:51
SPEAKER_01: And friend, I've been thinking a long time about how I would tell you.
30:56
SPEAKER_01: It's been so deeply private and personal.
30:59
SPEAKER_01: And I honestly wondered if I could trust you with this big giant ache.
31:04
SPEAKER_01: But I am going to trust you now.
31:08
SPEAKER_01: Because, well, if you've listened to this, you've earned the right.
31:12
SPEAKER_01: But also, as I sat on that familiar bench seat on the famous boat attraction in Disneyland, grief surprised me.
31:21
SPEAKER_01: It gripped me and I shook with silent sobs.
31:26
SPEAKER_01: I closed my eyes and I tuned out the yo ho, yo ho pirates life for me, Diddy, and I cried.
31:33
SPEAKER_01: I cried for the little girl who needed a healthy father.
31:37
SPEAKER_01: And I cried for the adult woman who still needs the same.
31:43
SPEAKER_01: Those who are closest to me have walked alongside me step by step as my family navigated uncharted territory this last year.
31:51
SPEAKER_01: And some have been incredibly gracious, and they've remained insanely curious and been a safe place to share as the drama unfolded.
32:00
SPEAKER_01: Others, well, they didn't know quite what to do with me.
32:03
SPEAKER_01: And that was okay.
32:05
SPEAKER_01: They just said they were sorry.
32:07
SPEAKER_01: And yet others, well, they've just completely missed my need, and they didn't even bother to acknowledge the pain.
32:14
SPEAKER_01: But it's okay.
32:16
SPEAKER_01: Because through it all, I've learned what friendships are gold and what ones I've outgrown.
32:22
SPEAKER_01: It happens.
32:24
SPEAKER_01: So why did I take this episode space for celebration and combine it with the really hard?
32:34
SPEAKER_01: Well, because if you've stuck with me for five years or been a part of this community for any amount of time, it seemed only fitting to let you know.
32:44
SPEAKER_01: I wanted to invite you in to explore how joy and grief can share the same stage.
32:51
SPEAKER_01: I am not going to pretend to have theological insight, and I know for sure I have not completed my study of this because there's a lot more to learn.
33:00
SPEAKER_01: But I can share from my experience, and you can trust me to continue to share as things continue to unfold.
33:11
SPEAKER_01: The last year was full of loss for me, but it was also full of freedom and long-awaited answers to prayer.
33:20
SPEAKER_01: I'm telling you, there are things that I've been praying for for well over two decades, and I have finally seen the answer, even if it's been a mid-deep heartache.
33:32
SPEAKER_01: I am truly experiencing the Lord as my perfect father in a way I didn't know I needed or didn't even know I was missing.
33:41
SPEAKER_01: The revelation of the Good Shepherd is so real to me now.
33:45
SPEAKER_01: There is no going back to my own way of doing things.
33:50
SPEAKER_01: The Lord has walked me through the valley of the shadow of death, and he has been with me every step of the way.
33:57
SPEAKER_01: His rod and his staff have comforted me.
34:01
SPEAKER_01: And while I sure as heck wish my family would not have had to face such trauma and pain, I do see good fruit of a faith-filled life, not only in me, but in others.
34:15
SPEAKER_01: So, friend, I realize I leave this celebration episode with a more serious tone than you may have expected.
34:22
SPEAKER_01: But this is the gift I wanted to give you.
34:25
SPEAKER_01: I wanted you to know that you are not alone in the hard.
34:28
SPEAKER_01: And perhaps this me sharing, well, it could serve as an encouragement that there is good and joy and celebration to be found alongside the hard.
34:40
SPEAKER_01: Thank you for celebrating with me, for crying with me and rejoicing with me as good things continue to take place for my family.
34:51
SPEAKER_01: I really have a lot of anticipation for the days ahead, even as we face an uncertain world, because I am ultimately confident and are steady, faithful, good, and capable Heavenly Father.
35:06
SPEAKER_01: I really am excited to share that the next few months of the podcast are going to be rich with Enneagram deep dive episodes.
35:14
SPEAKER_01: I'll be releasing solo episodes teaching you about different communication styles, decision-making tendencies, and I'm even going to be offering an episode dedicated to each Enneagram type.
35:26
SPEAKER_01: That means nine whole new episodes.
35:29
SPEAKER_01: I'm so excited.
35:31
SPEAKER_01: So before you go, friend, would you be willing to celebrate with me by giving your five-star review of this podcast?
35:38
SPEAKER_01: It's pretty easy and simple.
35:40
SPEAKER_01: You just click on the review podcast section of your podcast app and you leave five stars and then share what you enjoyed about any of the simply wholehearted episodes.
35:51
SPEAKER_01: Maybe you enjoy the guests or the Enneagram conversations or all the book recommendations I give you.
35:57
SPEAKER_01: If you share your takeaways, this helps others know what to expect when they stumble across this space.
36:05
SPEAKER_01: I sincerely cannot thank you enough because I am beyond grateful to celebrate five fantastic years of the Simply Wholehearted podcast with you.
36:15
SPEAKER_01: So until next time, continue to pursue God's perspective, purpose, and plans for the wholehearted life He has for you.