As this Summer unfolded, I was dismayed by my lack of plans. My family and friends had busy summer schedules, and even though I worked, I still had some free weeks. I am never one to sit still, so, as always when I have no plans, I got moving.

First, I re-committed to exercising more (I know I always say that, but it’s true!). Then I looked for “crafty projects” – did you see our blog on cupcakes? When the weekends rolled around, I grabbed them with gusto! My husband and I rented (junky) boats and challenged our seamanship, went paddle boarding and hiked … anything outdoors! We made the most of those two days, so by Monday we felt we’d really had a vacation, albeit a mini vacation. And that seemed to make all the difference in the world. Each week, we came back refreshed, rested and connected … which, I have to say, after being married almost 31 years, is invaluable.

Then, after not really leaving home all summer, I have spent the last three weekends traveling. Two of those trips were spent reconnecting with viewers of Days of Our Lives, first in Nashville and then in NYC. As I have mentioned before, for me and my fellow castmates, it often feels like we work in a warehouse with just our friends, and we rarely see anyone else at the studio. Plus, we are all working our hardest to keep up with the lightening speed of the production each day that we have very little time to even socialize with each other.

So, when the opportunity comes to go out on a public appearance, most of us jump at the chance. To actually meet the people who follow you on social media or write letters to show their support is a real treat.

These most recent trips were great, with so many familiar faces, and many new ones too. As I’ve often experienced at these events, people were so open and honest … some sharing the most intimate details of their lives. A major life changing event, a death, a birth, an illness … in the short time we get with each person as they come down the line for an autography and a picture, you really can connect with and learn about people.

In New York, a man came through the line seemingly upbeat. As we talked, he shared with me how he called his wife sweetness, and then he looked down and started to cry. He then shared that he had lost her to cancer six months ago.  I reached across the table and held onto him and we had a moment of solidarity as he told me how they’d watched the show together … and that Patch and Kayla were their favorites.  I was so touched that he felt he “knew me” enough to share this private moment.  And so proud that something Stephen and I (and everyone at Days) have worked hard to create has been such a meaningful part of people’s lives.

When I go to these sort of events, I love to hear people’s comments and thoughts about the show … and I always want to hear their story. So many people have shared how they named their daughter Kayla … or how they themselves were named Kayla after me. It really is such an honor, and I hope I make you proud!

And I love that Days of Our Lives brings so many people together. Generations of family members or friends who watch, not to mention that friendships that are made through the different fan group. Heck, even my mother and I talk about stories, though I’m careful to never give her any spoilers … I don’t want to ruin the fun of it all.

And speaking of fun – did I say how much fun I had? Because I had fun! And I noticed something too. Not that it’s a new concept to me, but it struck me again this past weekend. At the cocktail party, there were drinks and music, and few of us took every opportunity to dance. Now, I realized that everyone may not enjoy dancing as much as I do, but I really believe that you feel better when you dance. Some people seemed nervous or self conscious or maybe shy? But man, life really is so much more fun when you throw all of that out the window and just live in the moment and have fun. Or, in my case … DANCE! (who cares if you’re good or not … I promise you’ll FEEL good).

These events, and the many conversations I’ve had at them over the years, also serve as a reminder of something I know more than anything. And that’s that in end … when you peel back all the layers … we’re not all that different. In fact, I believe we are really all the same. Yes, we may live in different places and have different jobs and battle different challenges, etc.; but at the end of the day we are all just trying to make it happen in our lives, in one way or another. We all struggle at times,  and we all persevere too. And I hope that the people I meet feel the same way.

I really was so moved by the people I met over the past couple of weekends … their loyalty, their support and their candor. Since I know there are many more people who are unable to travel to these events, I grabbed some video whenever I had a chance … so you can meet them too, and share in the fun we had!

Thank you to everyone for being so open with me … it means the world to me!

Until next time!

(And by next time, I mean November – Day of Days on Nov. 12 and the Performance & Fundraising Event Stephen and I are doing on Nov. 13)

PS – Thank you to Nikki, Tamra, Kim, Shannon, Stephanie, Angela, Cheryl and Cindy for sharing some of the great photos and videos they captured!