“Some chose to take care of the sick. Others worked for the wretched and the oppressed. Others took up teaching. Others brought help to the poor, and in their love and their piety they flourished in the company of the great and of the holy. . . .
“What usually happens to those not yet established in their chosen profession is this: They hear people talked about because of zeal or virtues which are different from their own. Straight away they want to take up a discipline like theirs, and because of human frailty their efforts are necessarily in vain. . . .
“The journey to God follows many routes. So let each person take to the end and with no turning back the way he first chose so that he may be perfect, no matter what his profession may be.”
— Abba Nesteros quoted in John Cassian’s Conferences
It may sound silly, but this passage woke me up to the fact that I’m a teacher. I never really set out to be a teacher – but I certainly didn’t end up as Miss America, a ballerina, or a nun (all things I wanted to do while growing up). My older sister invited me to teach her aerobics classes for her while she was on vacation for two weeks. That was in 1985. After many years of teaching group fitness classes, I felt drawn to teach Yoga.
Often, I imagine that my life would be more virtuous if I were working a mission in Africa or if I were living a life of prayer and penance as a hermit. But those paths are not my calling. I am a teacher. With God’s help, I teach.
How about you? What is your path – and do you ever feel an urge to go off and do something else?
John and Lisa's Blue Skies Blog - Soaring with God 
What are your thoughts?