Revolving Doors

A coworker announced today that he was leaving to pursue a new opportunity. He is far from the first. I guess that's just how it is in the life of a start-up. Come to think of it, maybe that's just how it is these days in life in general.
 
Working on a soap--well, working on a soap when I did--gives you a very particular perspective. With the exception of actors, whose storylines ended, and whose contracts or thirteen-week cycles came up, and writers, who might disappear and reappear on another soap when ratings went down, many of us stayed for decades. Where else in television production could you find a job that enabled you to go to the same place for years on end, a job that had the permanence of a corporation combined with the creativity of a circus troupe?
 
These days, there don't seem to be many more of these--soaps or long-term situations. More and more, I see friends in corporate life re-finding themselves, when what was long-term turns out to be no longer. And now, more and more, I see coworkers keeping eyes and ears open, because often the best opportunities come up in unexpected places, when you least expect them.
 
I used to be sad when there seemed to be a revolving door. Now, however, a revolving door means that life is in motion, and motion is exciting. A revolving door means that going out doesn't keep you from easily coming back in. A revolving door means that those inside can see out, and those outside can see in, and that the difference between "here" and "there" is not necessarily that much of a difference at all. A revolving door doesn't have to be opened, it just has to be pushed a little to make a change. Even the smallest revolving door can be shared.
 
A coworker announced that he was leaving today to pursue a new opportunity. And as he revolves through the door and out of my daily life, I am happy for him. Because he is in motion. And that's an exciting place to be.