How I Became A Sommelier (Part One)

Or, What Happened During My Saturn Return and How I Lived To Tell the Tale

First things first: Thank you all for your support! ICYMI, I wrote a piece that was just published on JancisRobinson.com as part of this year’s Wine Writing Competition. The essay I wrote is now officially shortlisted as one of the top entries, which makes it eligible for more potential awards later this summer! Go check out my essay and the other shortlisted pieces at the link above. There’s some beautiful writing being released, and I’m absolutely chuffed to be part of the group.

Inquiring minds want to know how to handle major astrological events.

Ask and you shall receive,

Kalesha

. This is Part One of how I got married and changed careers during my Saturn return.

…

Without fail, whenever I am on the floor, I will get this question at least once per shift.

“How did you become a somm?”

Most people are bewildered to learn that not only did I leave my day job in music to become a sommelier, I still use all the things I learned as a professional musician and theatre artist in my current line of work.

Let’s rewind a bit.

My husband and I met in a pub.

He was playing the lead role in a theatre production directed by a friend of mine. Having spent a lot of time working on his own feature films, he took a chance on acting again and auditioned for one of his favorite plays. 

I was directing a lot of productions at that time, and looking for new talent to cast. I had spent most of the previous two seasons working at one of the major regional theaters in the Bay Area, and I wanted to keep a pulse on the talent base at smaller theaters for potential understudies and small projects.

I almost didn’t see the show that night. But my director friend had been hyping up his lead actor for months, proclaiming him the most talented person to grace the stage.

“Fine, I’ll come see your show.”

He was incredible.

After the final curtain, I met up with the cast and crew at the pub around the corner, and we hit it off over bacon cheeseburgers and cider. We realized how much we had in common, pausing every once in a while to exclaim, “I can’t believe we’ve never met before!”.

He crooned “Just Once” as a 1 AM karaoke selection. My heart skipped a beat when I heard him sing. (Still happens, every time.)

That night, I left the pub knowing that I had met someone who would be part of my life forever. Someone who understood how my weird, wonderful little brain worked, and wanted to see the world from my point of view. I felt seen in the best way possible, and more like myself than ever before.

It was around this time that I received the single best piece of dating advice I’ve ever heard: Do the things you love, and the bond with your soulmate will naturally follow.

Four years, at least three shows, too many will-they-won’t-they moments, and countless late night conversations later, he asked me to be his girlfriend. That date perfectly coincides with the beginning of my first Saturn return.

My life became infinitely more cinematic from that point on.