On Our Own

As I read life updates from my former soap colleagues, I am reminded how much time has passed since my ending (and my beginning!) there, and how strong the bonds must have been, to make me moved even now. There have been marriages, and babies, and college, and college graduations, and transitions to careers in all sorts of directions, and each one grabs my attention.
 
As I read about others, I realize that I too am far from my soap roots. After years of relishing the mixture of production and editing, these days, I find myself mostly in edit rooms, because that is where the work is. These days, I am managing parenthood quite differently, and making my way through life without the routine that filled my days for so long. Perhaps part of me will never leave what I left (or did it leave me?), but most of me, I guess, has moved on. Because, whether we post about it or not, we all have found new paths. Whether we have been guided by choice or by chance, we all have created a world that still recalls where we once were together, but opens the door to the new worlds that we explore on our own.
 
As I read about my former soap colleagues, I smile and cry with their celebrations and challenges. We were together once, and now we're on our own. Or maybe, just a little, we're not actually on our own at all...