2017 has
been full of ups and downs, some of which I’ve shared here and some of which I
haven’t. While I didn’t write often in
2017, I personally feel that much of what I wrote was some of the best writing
that I’ve shared on my blog to date – and 2018 will mark 10 years of
blogging. How crazy is that? But before I get all into 2018, I need to
review 2017 first.
Philosophically
speaking, the post that really sums up 2017 is:
Because
that’s really what this year was, personal and political. So much of what has happened in our
government has been affronts to people with chronic illnesses and
disabilities. And because I am a member
of both of those groups, not only is it political, but it’s personal, too.
Personally,
it wasn’t a great year for me advocacy-wise:
And
health-wise, it wasn’t, either, because I had to say goodbye to the rheumatologist
that diagnosed me with lupus and RA, and had to find a whole new medical team:
And
politically, well, let’s just say that I made my voice heard:
There were
some exciting things, though, like being part of a book project that came to
fruition:
And there
were things that happened in 2017 that I haven’t even blogged about yet, like…
I had foot
surgery…
AND…
I bought a
house…
AND…
You’ll
just have to come back in 2018 and find out about that and all the rest!
***
As always,
at the end of every Year In Review post, I include a list of books I’ve read
over the past year. This list is much
shorter than in the past, but there are some really good ones here:
1. “Wild and Precious Life”
by Deborah Ziegler (NF)**
2. “There’s No Good Card
For This” by Kelsey Crowe, PhD and Emily McDowell (NF)**
3. “Why Won’t You Apologize”
by Harriet Lerner, PhD (NF)
4. “The Life-Changing Magic
of Not Giving a F@ck” by Sarah Knight (NF)
5. “This Life I Live” by
Rory Feek (NF)**
6. “Get Your Sh*t Together”
by Sarah Knight (NF)
7. “16th
Seduction” by James Patterson (F)
8. “Option B” by Sheryl
Sandberg and Adam Grant (NF)
9. “Bath Massacre” by Arne
Bernstein (NF)
10. “It’s Okay to Laugh” by
Nora McInerny Purmort (NF)*
11. “It’s Not Yet Dark” by
Simon Fitzmaurice (NF)**
12. “Alex and Eliza” by
Melissa De La Cruz (F)
13. “My Glory Was I Had Such
Friends” by Amy Silverstein (NF)*
14. “Beyond Powerful” by
Lala Jackson (NF)*
15. “Real Life Diaries:
Living with Rheumatic Diseases” (see above) (NF)**
16. “Fighting For Our Lives”
by Heather Choate (NF)*
(F) – Fiction;
(NF) – Non-fiction
* Books
specifically of interest to chronically ill readers
** Books
specifically of interest to chronically ill readers that I highly recommend