Great posts...
Just finished my fourth season, and I'm gonna do this until my body won't let me anymore. Here's why:
I like the during part. While I'm on the floor, I am completely immersed in another zone--I leave the planet for a while. I am being challenged in every way I can be challenged: physically (I'm not an athlete, so it's tough for me to keep up with high school kids), intellectually (remembering those rules instantaneously, especially the wacky ones), philosophically (if I don't call this one, what will the consequences be?), interpersonally (what do I have to do to get along with this partner and these coaches tonight), and emotionally (how do I respond to kicking a big one? how do I keep from telling that coach exactly what a butthead he/she is?). It FORCES me to be at my best, and I like rising to that challenge. I like the beers with colleagues, the extra bucks, and the staying in shape, but most of all, I like the time between the tip and the buzzer when I've got one friend in the world and an incredibly challenging job to do that differs substantially every time I do it.
Paul
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