When I was coaching tennis, I found myself pretty much unable to play the game for enjoyment. Not only did I have difficulty hitting away from my opponent during a match, as I’d grown accustomed to hitting directly to the girls during practice, but every time I stepped onto a tennis court, more then anything, it felt like work.

          Recently I’ve started fretting about teaching English. I’ve lived my whole life loving words, with their ability to enlighten, to deepen the mystery, to comfort, to inspire. Can your calling be your routine? I’m suddenly worried that working with words will move them from mystical to mundane; that they’ll no longer be my life, but what I do for a living.