Where Are They Now?

Oprah Winfrey has a show on her network called "Where Are They Now?". I don't actually have any burning desire to find out what has happened to various celebrities that have dropped off the public radar. In fact, I've never been much of a celebrity aficionado. What I really want to know is where the people I've known throughout my life have gone off to! I'm interested in their stories, the bumps in their own road, and their successes! Enter this whacky koo koo thing called Facebook. I spend a lot of time on Facebook, mostly for marketing and research purposes, but the one feature I adore is the opportunity to stay connected to people I don't EVER want to lose touch with.

My Aunt Debbie once teasingly referred to me as a Facebook addict. It might seem that way sometimes, but really I'm addicted to the "stories". This includes what's going on in the lives of my Tribe who live so far away, the military sisters I've made and the people who are a part of their Tribe that I'd be totally unaware of without social media. There is, at least for me, something magical about getting glimpses here and there of people's passions, accomplishments, books they enjoy reading, recipes they find, inspirational quotes they care about and hearing of their adventures as they travel along on their journey through life. The photos of people's dinner crack me up (and inspire me to occasionally post my own), because let's face it, nobody cares what we're eating unless we're invited and don't have to cook or do dishes!

When I look through my "Friend's List", I am amazed and delighted at how many people I have there from high school. Most of those people I've known since I was about the age my students are now, and considering my own super rocky start, it makes me smile to see how well into adulthood many of those connections have stuck. And look at us!!! We all grew up, got jobs, most of us created little people of our own, and we're out "there" now all adulting (not sure how wise that is or who made THAT call, but it beats the alternative, right?)! Perhaps the most wonderful part in finding some of my "Where Are They Now" people is how those roots have started to grow deeper and flourish. I can think of a handful of names that I am truly blessed to be able to get to know from a grown-up perspective. I'm actually very impressed at just how many of us turned out O.K. (myself included)! There are people missing from my "list", like the twin brothers who bullied me mercilessly in 8th grade and my very first absolutely nutso crazy high school crush. Mostly, though, I've been fortunate in having the means to cultivate and grow a community of people I wouldn't trade for the world!

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