Places
We recently passed our “Caliversary,” which is the anniversary of the day we put our family on a plane in Massachusetts, flew across the country, and transplanted ourselves in California. I had lived in Massachusetts for over 12 years (12 years, 7 months, and 4 days to be precise), but I’ve now lived in California longer than that, which got me thinking about how places shape us.
I grew up in Texas and moved to Massachusetts for grad school when I was 23. So Texas remains the place I lived the longest, though I’ve now spent more than half my life outside that state. I guess I got out while the getting was good, as the saying goes. I miss the food. I miss the friends and family that still live there. I miss Austin’s particular vibe, though I know it has changed a lot since I left. The last time I was there was 2022, and it did feel very different. I have no plans to return to Texas, or to see family in Louisiana. Much as I love the places (and people) I come from, they’ve gone the wrong way on so many fronts that I won’t go back.
I recently had a friend post that he has moved to Vancouver, Canada, and I’ll admit I had an immediate spike of jealousy. I wish we had the ability to pack up and take ourselves away from whatever this country is becoming. People like to tell me California is “safe,” and I understand that, by many metrics, it is one of the best places to be if you have to be in the U.S. But how long will that last? My kids are expressing concern and a desire to leave the country. But, of course, it’s not that simple. Moving from Massachusetts to California was a huge undertaking. Moving to a completely different country? I’ve actually had a lifelong dream to live abroad, but I never wanted to be a refugee. (Who does?)
In any case, my husband’s job requires him to be present and on site a certain number of days per week. Not because he can’t do his job remotely; he did for over a year during the pandemic. But his company has a beautiful campus that is probably very expensive to lease, and it made the executives “sad” to see it empty. So mandates occurred. People have to be physically present a certain number of hours/days per week. And that trend seems to be common among many companies and corporations. That fleeting hope the pandemic gave us of having new ways to work and more freedom… *poof* Companies can’t stand to feel like they aren’t in total control of their people. And now we have would-be CEOs “running” the government. (Ruining the government, more like.) People whose own companies have failed spectacularly, but sure, let them make decisions for all of us.
Sorry, I’m getting off topic. The point is, where you are matters. Like the type of soil matters to the plants that will grow there. And not all plants can grow in all soils. But the soil has to at least be fertile, nutritious, to sustain any kind of life. I’ve been fortunate in places I’ve lived, and I’m still pretty lucky to be where I am, but I worry we’re headed for a big drought.