Kal-i-for-nya
Tom Peters hit a chord with me today. With his post on leaving the east for California. I left Montana in 1999 for school at the University of Colorado. I was scared. Really scared. I grew up in Montana, a place where material wealth doesn’t matter. A place where it’s about life, not wages, not consuming. It’s about the outdoors, friends, and family. Colorado began an evolution but California is where it hit overdrive.
Tom’s post rings true. There’s something inherently awesome about making that decision to free yourself by moving to Kal-i-for-nya (Thanks for the new pronunciation Arnold). I made that decision last year. To Californicate. One of my best girl friends and I took a random job, with a random company. Moved to the South San Francisco Bay. Spent the summer under palm trees, hanging in Santa Cruz on the Boardwalk, learning to surf, wakeboarding in the Sacramento river delta, and enjoying the perfect South Bay summer nights. We didn’t know if it would all work out, but California took us in with open arms.
California frees your mind. Although I’ll always consider Montana my heart and soul. California becomes a part of you. Whether it’s the constant smell of flowers, the golden brown hills contrasting with black oak, or the quintessentially cliche palm trees. California makes you smile inside. This is where we re-imagined ourselves.
When will you?
