I moved from California to Texas but only stayed 4 months. Texas isn’t much cheaper, and everyone was politics-obsessed.

We moved to the Dallas-Fort Worth area

I rented a house from my brother in a town called Highland Village. I knew I was going to have to find a new job, but it was more difficult than I thought it would be because I have a California teaching credential.

They make it pretty clear in Texas that they don’t love California. We talked to a real-estate agent who told us to change our California plates immediately.

People would say: “You’re welcome here as long as you vote the right way.” Every single person I met — I’m not joking — every single one told me how to vote.

It got annoying after a while because I was thinking, “Why do you think I’m here?”

I was really depressed in Texas. I was daydreaming about home constantly. I know it takes time, but I started meeting people who had lived there for 10, 15, or 20 years, and most of them said it took them years to adjust to Texas.

That really troubled me. Life is short. I was getting close to 50. I realized I didn’t want to feel like that for years.

During the months I was in Texas, I was trying to find things that would make me love it there. We took a road trip to San Antonio because I had always heard that the Riverwalk was really cool. But when I got there, I was surprised because there wasn’t much else there.

Another thing that really struck me — because everyone talks about the homeless problem in California — there were a lot of homeless people in San Antonio. Same thing in Dallas.

I’m glad I moved, even though people thought I was crazy

I learned a valuable lesson. It was an expensive and inconvenient lesson, but I learned that freedom means different things to different people.

For one person, freedom might be not having to vaccinate your kids. Another person might think freedom has to do with gun rights. I learned that to me, freedom is having peace and adventures in my everyday life — having trails outside my front door and being able to leave and escape the heart.

In Texas, I kept asking everyone, “What do you mean by freedom?” I never got a satisfying answer for what exactly that extra freedom was.

I see California in such a new light since moving back. I am so grateful for the things I didn’t even notice before. Everyone is active here. They’re out having fun, they’re smiling, they’re laughing. People are having adventures.

I do miss the Texas barbecue. I loved the rodeo. You could always go see live music. And while I don’t appreciate the obsession with politics, I did appreciate Texas’ patriotism.

But I also realized that politics in California don’t affect my everyday life the way I felt they did in Texas. We’re not obsessed with politics here, but when I was in Texas, that was the main conversation. It was exhausting.

I actually came back a little bit more purple than I started. I realized that every state, red or blue, has its cons. No place is perfect.

I really appreciate that California protects its land, I want to have public spaces that are beautiful. Plus, I love California’s great income for teachers and the great health benefits we’re given. I didn’t know how superior it was until I left.

I want to live the rest of my life here in California. It’s definitely my happy place.