Life pruning and persistence

I’m thinking that I will need to cut some things about. I read a quote by Stephen Covey today wherein
he says that we’re always saying ‘no’ to something. Even if all we’re saying is ‘yes’ it means that we are
saying ‘no’ to something else. And, often we have say ‘yes’ to something good and inadvertently say
‘no’ to something great.
I feel totally and completely overwhelmed when I am at home. I want the time to cross-stitch, quilt, sew
the felt penny circle garland, make mixed media art, read and, finally, write. What it’s not possible. And
I know from experience that it also wouldn’t happen if I had all the time in the world. Because I did have
more time and I didn’t do it then. For years I could have focused more on these things and I didn’t.
Now I can choose to focus on these things even though I have less time and energy. I know now that I
must actually force myself to do the things I miss doing. It seems unnecessary. I would think that if I
wanted to do something so desperately, I would launch into it at the soonest opportunity. But I don’t.
Sometimes I say that I don’t have enough time to do it: Why get into the flow just to be ripped out? And
worse yet, what if I tried to start and was so pressured by time constraints that I couldn’t produce
anything? Other times I say that the environment isn’t conducive to creating. And it often isn’t.
But now comes a time where I realize that I can not keep sacrificing great for good, or more likely, for
bad. I have to force myself to not only narrow my focus but then to work consistently at it.
The thing is, if I could find a way to balance both creative forces than I would feel so much more
complete. I wouldn’t feel like I was perpetually letting myself down. A time for creating something 3D
and something literary. And by golly, if I could find a hobby that would give me both of those things, I
think I’d lose my shit.
I know that I will need to set standards. I must force myself to write, without break, until I no longer can
keep from doing it on a regular basis. Then, if something arises, such as illness, than I can feel safe
taking a break without worrying that I might derail all my efforts.