Seven Lives in One

Allison has never been the kind of person who can just sit still and follow a single, straight path. Growing up in Denver, she always dreamed of dancing on a professional stage, and by age nineteen, she was performing with a modern dance company in Chicago. She spent four years touring the country, but an unexpected knee injury brought that fast-paced chapter of her life to a sudden end.

Faced with a complete career change, Allison moved to Seattle and decided to try something entirely different. She bought a reliable old sedan and spent the next three years working as a night cab driver. While her parents worried about her safety, Allison loved the freedom and the endless parade of fascinating passengers she met during her shifts.

After driving cabs through thousands of rainy Seattle nights, she felt a strong desire to help people more directly. She enrolled in a local nursing program, graduated at the top of her class, and spent a decade working in the emergency room at St. Jude Hospital. It was intense, exhausting work, but she learned how to stay calm under immense pressure.

Eventually, her deep interest in community justice led her back to school yet again, this time for a law degree. Today, Allison works as a respected municipal judge in downtown Seattle, making fair decisions that impact hundreds of local residents every single week.

When Jason, a reporter for Pacific Northwest Magazine, asked her which of her many demanding roles was her absolute favorite, her answer shocked him completely. People always assume she would choose the prestige of the courtroom or the noble service of nursing.

Instead, Allison smiled warmly, poured another cup of coffee, and confessed that driving a yellow cab through the midnight rain was the happiest job she had ever held.

Read again and choose the right answer

Why did Allison stop dancing professionally?

• She lost interest in the theater.
• She suffered an unexpected knee injury.
• She moved to Seattle for a different job.

What job did Allison take after her career in dance ended?

• A night cab driver in Seattle
• A nurse at St. Jude Hospital
• A reporter for a local magazine

How long did Allison work in the emergency room?

• Three years
• Four years
• Ten years

Which job was Allison's absolute favorite?

• Working as a municipal judge
• Working as an emergency room nurse
• Driving a night cab

Sources: photo by KATRIN BOLOVTSOVA on Pexels