Although I would love to be 27 again, I find that the older I get, the happier I get. Well, maybe if just my hands and feet could be 27, that would be perfect. It took some work for me to reach the point of being “gloriously empowered,” but I do feel I am. I am very lucky.

I would be pretty thrilled if I didn’t require sleep either!!!

Sorry about your garden, but unlike me it sounds like you are making wise choices. I’ve found that it is not always easy for parents to understand why the things that have always been a priority for them are not for you. I think my dad has finally gotten over the fact that I am never going to make my yard the work of art that his is…and it really is. I figure if I can keep up with mowing and trim the trees and bushes occasionally then that is all I want to give to that area of my life. I do think it is something I would enjoy spending more time on when I retire, but for now working in the yard is not something I can stand to do after working 50+ hours a week.

Come to think of it, I think I’ll keep the sleep and give up work!

It was hard for me to let my garden go this summer. I have always had a beautiful, well-maintained garden. My mother is going to be disappointed in me this weekend when she visits and sees the weeds. But something had to go. I needed to finish the story I was working on, so that had to move up the list. Oh well. As you said, sacrifices have to be made. I wish I didn’t have to sleep.

Not at all. I completely despise ‘those people’ who belittle reading of any kind and say it is a passive activity. I don’t agree with that. I get things out of everything I read, even the most pedestrian stuff…it means an emotional need as well as an inspirational need.

“There are simply not enough hours in the day, and there are so many things out there I would like to do.”

Agreed, which is why gaming is probably the one ‘hobby’ that I have that I spend the least time with. I’ll go through periods where I want to play a lot and then for months won’t touch a computer game at all. It is something I really enjoy, especially picking up a new game and letting the ‘story’ of it unfold around me as I play. But it, like reading and movies and anything else can certainly be a distraction.

In the end I think embracing one’s hobbies and interests should be about balance and right now my balance is between that and work and spending time with family and friends and it is incumbent upon me to look at areas in my ‘hobbies and interests’ that I can make sacrifices in to work on some projects.

And I’m not lying when I say ‘make sacrifices’. I truly LOVE my hobbies and interests. I am not a person who gets bored so I’m not filling time. I really enjoy the things I spend time on. But, as you said, there just aren’t enough hours in the day.

The only other time-taking activity I indulge in that doesn’t have some kind of physical/tangible/object as result is reading (and the occasional movie). I would definitely argue that when you read, you are learning something – so it is not a waste of time. I firmly believe that no matter what you read, you are learning. I don’t imagine you would argue with that……

There are simply not enough hours in the day, and there are so many things out there I would like to do. Rather than de-stressing me, it makes me nervous and fidgety, thinking about all I could be accomplishing, if I wasn’t playing the stupid game (that is partly the German working class influence – one does not go up the steps without at least one thing in each hand, much less empty handed). So maybe that’s where my argument lays. Instead of playing a game for an hour to de-stress, you could create a collage/painting/piece of furniture/whatever, to de-stress. There is nothing like that sense of accomplishment one has when stepping back and saying, “Wow. I made that.”

Or maybe I just don’t like to lose?!

Changing focus is definitely a better definition for my ‘illness’. My focus is generally all over the place. Not in an ADHD way, more in an “I want to do that, and that, and THAT, AND THAT!!!” kind of way that ends up shutting me down to where I only do the things that are easy for me to do.

I can certainly argue with you about games being a big waste of time, bring it on! Setting aside the subjective argument that I believe watching a little tv, playing games, and like activities are therapeutic if only to let one disengage a bit and de-stress, the majority of games I play allow me to get a similar kind of engagement that I get reading fantasy novels etc. Many of today’s games have really immersive gameplay experiences, especially games like Elder Scrolls: Oblivion which plays like an extra long episode of The Lord of the Rings. I do believe games that eat up every second of one’s life…like online massively multiplayer games that people play endlessly…are not the best, even those games I truly believe can be just as beneficial from an entertainment and social perspective as reading can be. It really all depends on the person. I also believe that the type of person who can become addicted to online games and lose perspective will do that with something else if they aren’t doing it with gaming.

So there’s the beginning of my argument.