This week marks my 25th California-versary. I arrived in California as an exchange student on September 9, 2001. Two days before 9/11.
Most people share where they were and what they were doing on September,11 every year and how it has changed their lives and this country. And because people have asked, I have written about how I experienced that day. I was a foreigner in a new country and so naturally, my experience was very different from others.
But for me, it also marks a time that completely changed my life – just in a very different way. What was supposed to be a 6-month visit ended up being life-changing. I always think back and wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t already arrived in the US, if my flight had been scheduled for a few days later, if I would have come to California at all. At this point, it seems unfathomable that there was a real possibility that I could have not ended up here.
Sometimes we forget how seemingly small, insignificant things can have a huge impact on our lives. Every decision, or lack thereof, and every little change of plans, intentional or not, has lead us to where we are today. It’s mind-blowing to think about what it really means for each of our lives. You know how some people say everything happens for a reason? I don’t really subscribe to this sentiment (because I don’t think everything happens for a reason), but surely some things do.
Do you think some things happen for a reason? Or is life just a string of random incidents? (Not less impactful either way.)
You can read my reflections on my 20th California-versary here.
Birchie
September 10, 2026 at 5:24 pmHappy CA 25th!
Team Random! “Everything happens for a reason” never really held up for me, especially if it’s thrown out in the aftermath of a bad event. But whether random or for a reason, I’m glad that you are here!
coco
September 11, 2026 at 1:21 amhappy anniversary.
I don’t question tooo much whether things always happen for a reason, rather I find the silver lining in things that happen, even they are not great.
Catrina
September 11, 2026 at 1:41 amHappy 25th California-versary, San!! 🎉
I often wonder about those “what if?” versions of our lives. What if I had never met my husband? What if I had decided to have kids? There are so many little forks in the road that could have led to a completely different life.
And, like Birchie, I’m definitely Team Random. It makes me think of Ecclesiastes 9:11: “time and unforeseen occurrence befall them all.” Sometimes completely unforeseen things really do change the entire trajectory of our lives!