Live to Write or Write to Live?

Northwest is a gardener's paradise and nothing makes a gardener happier than working outside. I did just that this morning instead of writing. I planted sugar and snow peas, purple, red and yellow finger potatoes, and collard greens. Every spring I experience exhilaration witnessing what is coming up and planning what to grow and anxiety over how much there is to do. This morning was no exception except the anxiety was amplified because I'm leaving for Asia in a week and I won't be back until late April. On the one hand I'm excited about conducting researches for my book project, on the other hand I am feeling conflicted about compromising one life passion(gardening) for another(writing).

I'm faced with a paradox - what I love to write about is what I love to do, if I give up what I love to do, what is there to write about? But I also know it is rather limiting to write solely from my own experiences, I am curious about people not only in the U.S. but all over the world who share similar passions in food, culture, and the environment, and write about their thoughts, values and experiences. Is this what "act locally, think globally" means? I don't know. What I do know is I need to live to write; not the other way around.