So here is my rub (I like that phrase but it sounds lewd). I am married, I'm a full-time student and a house husband keeping this place running and cooking dinner. On top of that I run two games a week one on friday night (date night dice rolling my boys) and one on saturday. 

I do this though a liberal combination of ADHD meds (been on em since I was 8), naps and lots of databases (DDB is a blessing). Still, a lot of time I feel like I'm burning the candle at both ends as well as in the middle, when I get like that I have to stop and remind myself that the games are fun, not just for me, but for everyone else that plays. We all have to blow off some steam (another phrase I like that occasionaly sounds lewd), and that by running them I'm not just helping myself but I'm helping my friends and family.

So y'alls turn, what is it that gets you to crack open those books and put pen to paper? What makes you drop those dice when the world is going to fire around you? How hard do you crack the whip to get your players to the table? I want to hear your "Nero playing the fiddle while rome burned" stories, and yes I know he didn't really play it the whole time but I'm working on a greco/roman mortals and demigods game for sunday nights. What can I say, if you got a candle burn it? 

For me, gaming is the one thing that fixes things - bad mood (which happens a lot, considering I am bipolar)? Run a game. Stress? Run a game. Having a good day and want to do something to celebrate? Run a game.

So I, and I count myself very lucky that this is the case, only ever feel burnt out if the game in question isn't one of my favorites. The solution to that is, of course, to run one of my favorites - whether that is taking a week off here and there throughout the months spent running something I'm not thrilled about to play Betrayal at House on the Hill, or the more drastic "I'm not into this game, let's play [insert a favorite] instead."

But because gaming is my "drug", I find myself more greatly affected by the times when I'm sitting here ready for a session and unforeseen events align to prevent it from happening. There is a very narrow window of time in which someone can propose an alternative for the evening (board game, co-op video games, or a movie), but if that window passes that is pretty much the end of my night and I will just curl up in bed and wait for tomorrow.

...but that is why I usually have a series of "side games", one for each possible configuration of players that can be present while the "main game" can't be played. So that instead of "Richard can't make it tonight, so gaming is off" I have "Richard can't make it tonight, so grab your other characters and lets play."

Personally, I enjoy role playing immensely. I love getting to "try out" different personalities and outlooks on life, and I love the immersion that D&D brings to the table. RPGs in general are extremely fun for me, so D&D fit perfectly. Why do I run games? I run them because I like to, and my players have told me that they like when I do as well. I like to challenge players in ways that they aren't used to, bring them out of their comfort zones. I like to try to motivate them and inspire them with the things that we create together. Really just like, I enjoy every aspect of DMing, from the running itself to the problem solving and looking up rules, to the critical thinking and ideas that inspire the game.