After finding the pipes had collapsed and the basement flooded in our restaurant, I knew it was time to make a decision. The landlord made clear he was not willing to do more than the usual patch job. He also assured me that if he were forced to do major work then he would invoke the repairs clause, thereby terminating the lease. My choices were few, and they affected not only me but everyone on my team. I had to decide what to do, and I had to decide quickly.
I knew if I closed the restaurant I would miss a lot of people, the customers, the staff, and the many vendors. I would also miss my business. A childhood of abuse and neglect had lowered my self-worth and self-esteem, and it was through running my business that I found value in myself, and in the knowledge that I could contribute something to the community. But, keeping the restaurant was a losing battle. Customers were tired of arriving to closed doors, or finding the bathrooms out of order, or hearing we had to close early. Word travels fast in a small town, and it began to also affect our catering business and antiques store. I loved running the restaurant, the experience helped me grow and mature as an adult, and a business owner, but I could not run a successful business out of a building that had to shut down for repairs on a regular basis. The decision to close was inevitable.
After announcing the decision I felt defeated. I knew it was time to decide on a further plan of action. But, something happened that surprised me; I felt total hesitation at the thought of reopening in a new location. It became clear my heart was no longer in the restaurant business. I needed to spend some time to evaluate the reasons I wasn’t happy and what I wanted to do.
I knew I did well in the food industry not just because I could cook, but because I have the drive, passion and commitment it takes to succeed in that industry. It is the same drive that allowed me to succeed as a full-time student while running a business. But there was also another reason I was doing well in school: I enjoy intellectual stimulation and challenge. I enjoy being part of the academic environment, not only pushing myself to expand my limits intellectually, but also adding my voice to scholarly discussion. That challenge has been more fulfilling than any previous endeavor. And though I still had a catering business and antiques store to run, I knew that to double down on my academic efforts would take me in the direction I wanted to go.
While closing the restaurant, I thought about what to do next. I knew I could continue to support myself through catering, but it would no longer be satisfying. The drive to succeed and work hard would suit me to do a great many things, but I wanted to decide what I needed out of a career. As a caterer I loved being a part of people’s lives, doing my best to make their wedding day special, a day to which they have looked forward and will always remember. Through volunteering to host free dinners and supplying meals to local homeless shelters I was able to help nourish those in need, something I found especially gratifying coming from a childhood of neglect. The restaurant allowed me to challenge myself, to meet the arduous demands of a fast-paced, zero-room-for-errors industry. I knew these were elements I wanted from any career I chose, and along with the intellectual challenge I desire, I feel these are all aspects I can find in a legal career.
The qualities I brought to running my business, discipline, hard work, and the drive to succeed, are the same I will bring to law school, and I believe will make me a successful student. I often remember the sense of satisfaction after meeting the challenge of a seemingly insurmountable task, such as catering an event of 900 people, or opening the doors to the restaurant after working around the clock for weeks in preparation, and I look forward to investing in the hard work necessary to find success during the law school experience. I hope I am given the opportunity to meet this challenge as well.
never. NEVER. Get rid of this and don't throw in some legal jargon just to throw it in. If you worked with legal documents during a stint as a paralegal, fine. But just because your lease had a contract (as all should) doesn't mean you throw it in your personal statement. 
