Malibu To Waco

That’s the hashtag my husband used when we moved to Texas almost five years ago…Malibu to Waco. I am sure for many of you who read that you immediately think of the contrast between those two cultures, lifestyles, geography and on and on the list goes. It’s interesting, we’ve had friends from both Malibu and Waco ask us several times over the years about the change and if we are ready to move back. I find it interesting because I am curious about what lies behind that question, what is it that they think we (or they) couldn’t live with or live without that they perceive we have “given up” to make this move? In a world that profits off of dividing us, I have found in this move even more assurance of how beautiful humanity is everywhere we turn and how very much in common we have, if we are looking for it.  

I am not sure, but I think some people think there is no way that someone from the beautiful landscape of California could ever be happy in Central Texas. The food is different, the weather is not the same, people dress differently and drive different cars. One is “liberal and blue” the other is “red and conservative” and we are told that there’s no way for my family to like both…and they’re right…we don’t like both, we absolutely love both. I am not going to lie and say I don’t miss the beaches and mountains of California, because I do. However, if I left Waco I would surely miss walking the riverbanks of the Brazos and the wide open spaces of Central Texas as well.

HOW? How could this be true? I am a fifth generation Californian, and I loved so very much of our lives in California. I had a great job, was involved in the community and had a huge network of wonderful friends and family. I was terrified at the initial idea of leaving all of that behind to have this new beginning, literally sick to my stomach for a bit, but knew deep in my soul it was what we needed to do.

What do I miss about California? My people…that’s really about it. What do I love about my life in Waco? Mostly the people…which is ironic right because I feel like everywhere we turn we are told that we are so divided all of the time. I just don’t buy it…I believe that all of us are so very much the same that it is actually amazing…and how do I know that? I know it because I literally have lived it and continue to live it every single day.

I have yet to meet a person in Malibu or Waco who doesn’t want the schools in their community to thrive. Everyone I have ever met enjoys a great meal with people they love. People in both spots love sports and the arts, are worried about social media and the dangers it poses to young people today. We are all asking the same questions about retirement and health insurance. Everyone wants a good job and hopes that their kids will have one too. 

We may choose different movies at the theater, or wear different colors at sports games but at the end of the day we are fans of cinema and sports…right? We may serve different food at our tables, but we all love to gather and eat with people we care about. Each of us hurts when our loved ones are ill, all of us are affected the same when we see suffering. 

There’s a reason we can all connect to literature from historical eras and that’s because we are connecting to the people in the stories…their emotions, their desires, passions and lives…it doesn’t matter that Jane Austin’s characters don’t have cell phones or cars…because they have laughter and heart ache just like us. The same is true of Texans, Californians, New Yorkers and Floridians….we all are part of humanity and have a shared journey of being here in this time, in this generation, in this world and it is up to us to be influenced to find the multitude of things we have in common rather than the few we don’t. 

So when we are told how someone who roots for a different team than you…be that in sport, place of worship, politician or place you live…challenge that idea with the facts about how much we all really share in common in this wonderful ride we are on together.