Moving to California



Posted: Friday, August 14, 2009

by Carol Yourist

Well, it didn = t start out that way. Moving that is. My Aunt and Uncle moved to L.A. only because my Uncle had a lame leg since he was a young child and the cold weather and snow in Ohio was getting too difficult for him to manage anymore. They invited me to come just for the summer to help my aunt get settled. Staying was not a consideration, ever.

There were so many A firsts @ for me. The airplane ride. Eating an avocado. Going to the Farmers Market. Standing in movie stars footprints at Graumann = s Chinese Theater in Hollywood. And so much more. But it was the freedom I quickly got attached to. Finally, I felt like an adult, whatever that meant to an impressionable 19 year old at the time.

As the days and weeks went by, life became routine but with intermittent sightseeing. I pretty much walked everywhere I could, took the bus if I had to and one day, discovered a school to become a dental assistant. My Aunt and I checked it out, signed me up then called my parents, who of course were furious. It meant I wouldn = t be starting my Sophomore year as planned as well as I wouldn = t be coming home until the early part of the following year since I had to go through 6 months of internship.

When the internship was announced, my Aunt got upset because I was going to work for a dentist in L.A. which meant, it was too far to travel from Sherman Oaks each day so I had to find an apartment.

Freedom, at last.

Did I have a great life in L.A.? Yes, and no.

I dated. Hated the dental field and wound up getting a terrific job with a Pediatrician in Beverly Hills whose practice was primarily movie stars. I made some nice friends. Even became acquainted with shirt-tail relatives, and yes, I eventually got married. However, if I had to do it over again with what I know now, I = d have lived my life in a whole different way there, but still I wouldn = t have gone home to live with my parents.

Was the experience good? In retrospect, all the amazing things I = ve learned and done indeed have been interesting and great experiences. Now that I live in Texas and meet people here who have never been anywhere or worked for anyone other than whom they work for now, I am thankful for being able to have included in my life things others dream about.

Moving to California was, a great gift.

Carol Yourist, who for right now lives in Texas, is a unique and talented person.  At the tender age of 6, she began sewing when her grandmother introduced her to a Singer treadle sewing machine. That instigated an interest in many artistic endeavors including writing.  Carol has taken classes including on line, to furthur her interests and progress in her search for a better life.

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