“I’m not moving to California,” was my firm response nearly a year ago when my husband told me he’d spoken to some people about a job there. At this point in my life, I should know better than to respond to anything with this level of certainty. To cut to the quick, he accepted the job last week.
So, um, yeah…
We’re moving to California.
Even though Indiana wasn’t ever quite on my radar, I must admit, neither was California… It’s far from both of our families, and we were hoping to head back east.
But, sometimes life surprises us with quite unexpected realities. Very slowly, my definitive “I’m not moving to California” response softened:
On applying for the job: “You know I don’t want to live in California, but I won’t stand in your way if you feel like it’s something you should pursue.”
On accepting an interview: “Let’s just walk through open doors.”
On accepting an in-person interview: “Best not to shut a door that’s not open yet.”
On arriving in California in January: “This weather is AWESOME!”[1]
And then much to my surprise, all the doors were wide open, and it was clear that we would be missing great things to not walk through them.
So, good-bye, cultural isolation. Hello, California! The slate is clean. Much awaits us on the next leg of our journey.
[1] I should clarify that weather was not the only detail that opened the door. As much as I hate winter, even the sun isn’t enough to be the sole reason to uproot our lives. (Good Asian food and access to Trader Joe’s come close though!)
between worlds 
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