My word for the first half of 2017 was "recovery."
2016 tore me down pretty good. I finished and defended my dissertation. I did a national search for a full-time job. All while working 4 part-time jobs and still not making ends meet. I moved coast-to-coast, from San Diego to Boston. During my first month in Boston a guy tried to break in twice in one night when I was home alone at my temporary apartment. I "moved" 5 times in 6 months while living in Boston because I couldn't find a place to live that I could afford. I never felt safe. I could never make ends meet. I was bored and frustrated at work. Even my volleyball teammates had zero chill.
I finally had some luck in that a position opened at DePaul and they decided to hire me.
January was still a bit rough with car and financial troubles, but relief was in sight. So once I found an apartment, I gave myself permission to take care of myself and recover. I worked 2 side jobs, but I didn't pressure myself to be productive in addition to that and when I was tired on the weekends, I rested.
Finally, in July, I was feeling more like myself. I said goodbye to the scarcity lens of 2016 and changed my word to "abundance." Yes, I had 3 jobs, but I got them because I'd done such good work for so long that good people wanted to work with me. I'm surrounded and gushing with appreciation for my coworkers and superiors. My jobs allowed some financial relief. I have some of my oldest friends here, and they like to do the things I like to do, even things I didn't even know I liked to do. Goodness is flowing.
What wasn't flowing in 2017 was extra time. So this was all a flowery excuse for not reading more. Plus, I am halfway through War and Peace, so that could have been at least 26 more books on its own, right? Still, I read some great books this year, so my brain is finally ready for additional challenges!
Thank you to everyone who gifted or suggested a book to me this year!
*1 - Catching in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
1/1/17 (for the umpteenth time)
2 - A Feast for Crows by George R. R. Martin
1/29/17 (for the 2nd time), loaned to me by Kevin Robitaille
3 - You'll Grow Out of It by Jessie Klein
2/9/17, gifted to me by Kevin Robitaille
4 - Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham
2/19/17, gifted to me by Kevin Robitaille
**5 - Best American Short Stories 2008 edited by Salman Rushdie
3/14/17
6 - The Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
3/21/17, gifted to me by Jerry Krone
*7 - Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut
3/27/17 (for the umpteenth time)
8 - Fight Club by Chuck Palaniuk
4/9/17, gifted to me by Kevin Robitaille
9 - Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
4/16/17, gifted to me by Jerry Krone
10 - Shopgirl by Steve Martin
5/27/17
11 - The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Mari Kontiki
7/23/17, gifted to me by Jerry Krone
12 - Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
7/24/17, for the Michigania East Book Club, which included Lynn Halpern, Janet Halpern, Linda Dreeban, Kathy Krone, Jerry Krone, Linda Imboden, Julie Kreiss, Mike Holczer, Joel Kreiss, and so many others that I cannot remember at the moment.
13 - 1984 by George Orwell
10/30/17
14 - Between the World and Me by Ta-nehisi Coates
11/13/17
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