About Me: I’ve Lived a Thousand Lives

Waiting at an airport terminal always triggers a specific kind of reflection. Today, I stumbled upon an old post, and as I began to add to it, the realization hit me: my life hasn’t been a single linear path. It’s been a collection of a different lives.

Looking back at the versions of “me” that have existed is a gift—but the greater gift is realizing how many more versions are yet to be born.

The Life of a Confectioner

I lived the life of a baker and cake decorator. There is a delicate, ephemeral magic in that world—spending hours sculpting sugar and smoothing buttercream into edible art. I had the privilege of creating the centerpieces for life’s sweetest moments, from the whimsy of a first birthday to the elegance of a engagement party. It was a life defined by precision and the quiet joy of knowing that my work would be the literal “icing on the cake” for a family’s most cherished memories.

The Life of the Advocate

For thirty years, I have lived the life of a Trial Lawyer. I’ve stood in the well of the courtroom, navigating the high-stakes chess match of civil litigation. This life taught me the power of a narrative, the heavy weight of the law, and the sheer resilience required to fight for someone else’s truth. It is a world of sharp suits, late night filings, and the pure adrenaline that surges when a jury returns with a verdict.

The Life of the Builder

In another life, I trade the briefcase for a tool belt. This is the life of the Builder and the Investor. Inspired by my father—a true Renaissance man—I’ve spent decades turning “shells” into homes. I’ve laid laminate flooring until my knees ached, wrestled with PEX piping, and tested circuits until the lights finally flickered to life. There is a deep, soul-level satisfaction in sanding down a piece of reclaimed wood and watching the grain emerge under a fresh coat of stain. In this life, I don’t just advocate for a better world; I build it, brick by brick.

The Life of the Adventurer

Then there is the woman who jumped out of an airplane and sand-boarded across the dunes of Dubai. I was the one who climbed Mount Rainier with my dad and circled a speedway at 140mph—only to find that my spirit moved faster than my inner ear could handle. I’ve zip-lined through the Costa Rican canopy and dog-sledded through a silent, frozen winter wonderland.

The Life of the Wanderer

I have lived a life where I stranded myself in a Serengeti mud pit, surrounded by the breath of wild animals. I’ve crossed the Drake Passage to stand at the end of the world with the penguins of Antarctica and sailed the ancient Nile to look King Tut in the eye. I’ve slept in cave houses in Santorini and on literal blocks of ice inside an igloo.

The Life of the Romantic & The Ridiculous

I lived the life of a woman who married the same “fool” twice—once in a church floating on water, and once in a Vegas chapel where I promised not to step on his blue suede shoes. I’ve walked the halls of the Taj Mahal with him (until he vanished with his camera) and faced the hilarious “fails” of life—from a disastrous pole dancing class to a late-night call that somehow landed me at a porn convention.

The Life of the Survivor

In my most recent life, I’ve learned to find the beauty in a “new normal.” I’ve traded the high-altitude adrenaline for the quiet resilience of the heart. I’ve learned that when the world gets dark, you don’t necessarily need the Northern Lights (which, let’s be honest, this New Yorker found a bit underwhelming). You just need the stars that have always been there: true friends and family.

I’ve lived a thousand lives already—as an attorney, a builder, a traveler, and a fighter. But sitting here in this terminal, I know one thing for certain:

I still have a few good lives left in me.