Good for you, Stef. Do what you love. Be happy. If that means a slight loss of focus in some areas, then so be it.
I agree that, in academics, we’re taught to be serious, to conform, to focus on our given tasks above all else. While this may be what’s necessary to maximize our potential in a given field, it is no way to maintain a healthy and balanced soul. We need fun, we need laughter, we need physical expression, and we need grinding effort towards tasks we enjoy. You’re going to school to make a better life for yourself, but how much better is that life if you have to deprive yourself of something you absolutely love?
Anyways, go for it Stefanie. Live how you want to live. Be creative, be smart, be strong. Approach each day as if it’s a gift and it’s nearly impossible to go wrong. Once you get back out there and start doing what you love to do, things will start to look a lot brighter. And don’t worry about dulling your potential in one area by focusing on another. The greatest minds in history were also some of the most diverse.