2019 in Review

Reflecting...

This is my third "Year in Review" blog post since starting "Abby's World" in 2017.  (If you wish to read my previous versions, 2018 is here and 2017 is here.)  When reflecting on this blog, I feel gratitude to those who have read posts - one or many, I cherish the experiences that I've been able to document here, I acknowledge that I still don't know my target audience and I've embraced that.  I like that I chose a name that allows me write about random topics, though I wish I had come up with something more creative.  My mind wanders a lot... my blog topics only tend to wander occasionally. For the most part, I've stuck to Physical Therapy/Health and WNBA Basketball/Women's Sports, but I've thrown in some odd topics along the way, too, like this post which had weird photos of my eyelids.

In summary, since starting the blog, I've written 110 posts with a collective total of over 25,000 readers. I've had two posts eclipse 1,000 hits (this one about Physical Therapist Board Certification and this one about sport specialization), and I'm sure they're not my mom reading the same post 1,000 times. I posted less in 2019 than in 2108, but I also traveled and read a lot more. I like this pace and expect it will be similar in 2020.  Here are a few of the highlights from 2019, both personal and professional, and a look forward to what's coming in 2020. 

The beginning of 2019 was insanely busy.  From January through early April I supervised my first PT student who I wrote about here. In March, I presented advanced anatomy and biomechanics of the shoulder at a Youth Upper Extremity Injuries conference, which I wrote about here, and which showed me that I really enjoy teaching, though I would miss clinical work way too much to dive into that full time. At least for now. And then a week later was the Sports Certified Specialist PT Exam which I wrote about here.  Taking a student really opens up your time to focus on other things, at least when they're as good as mine was. I took full advantage of that opportunity. 

In 2019, I "came out" about my eating disorder with this blog post and shared some mental health struggles.  It's amazing how much better things can get when you 1) learn there is, in fact, a problem and 2) do something about it.  I faced these issues with a much bigger support system than I had anticipated, along with an army of healthcare providers, which made things so much better.  I spent many hours and even more dollars between my Therapist's office and my Dietician's office along with visits to my Naturopath and Gastroenterologist because adding foods back into my diet that I had been previously binging or restricting ultimately made me pretty sick. Like bent over in pain, leaving work early, and carrying extra clothing around in case something horrific happened sick. Unbelievable how much damage you can do to yourself but also how resilient the body is!  It could be that some of those foods made me start restricting in the first place, but we'll probably never know that. I'm certain that we need to continue working to de-stigmatize mental healthcare in the US. Too many people need help but are ashamed to get it, and it can make a huge difference in your quality of life.  

Justin Timberlake!

Despite having a persisting gut ache, I also traveled more in 2019 than ever before.  It started with a day trip to Vancouver, BC, on Valentine's Day to see Justin Timberlake in concert. Amazing.  So Amazing.  In March, an East Coast visit with the family and Climb to the Top of Rockefeller Center for Multiple Sclerosis for the fifth time (which I've previously written about here). I won't be climbing in 2020 but if you'd like to donate and support the cause, please let me know and I'll connect you to fundraisers! In May a trip to the Olympic Peninsula to check out Dungeness Spit and learn about that type of land formation. In June I headed East twice more for weddings, once with family in Ohio and then in New Hampshire two weekends later.  

World Travels

In August I enjoyed a life-changing opportunity to volunteer in Tanzania, Africa, for two weeks which I wrote about here, and which was has captivated my thoughts and prayers since. In September the AASPT Traveling Fellowship brought me to Ohio and Minnesota, which I wrote about here, and which impacted my learning and career goals in several ways. In October there was a quick snowy vacation weekend to Denver followed by a Thanksgiving trip to Connecticut to see the family, which I wrote a bit about here.  The year will wrap up with my birthday celebration in Portland, OR for some Trailblazers vs Lakers basketball.  Basically, I was all over the map and spent a lot of time reading and writing in airports.  Shockingly I have zero travel plans for 2020 right now, but I'm sure that will change. 

I read a lot of books in 2019, both fiction and non-fiction, thanks to audio books for the commute and OverDrive on my phone for while I was on the road.  Four books were listed in the syllabus for The Level Up Initiative, which I wrote about here, all of which were really awesome. My favorite reads of 2019 were "The Moment of Lift How Empowering Women Changes the World" by Melinda Gates, "Yale Needs Women" by Anne Gardiner Perkins, "Educated" by Tara Westover, and "Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body" by Roxanne Gay.  I also listened to some podcasts and binge watched "The Handmaid's Tale" on Hulu... can't wait until the next season comes out!

There was continuing education, kayaking, basketball, and time with family and friends.  I didn't spend nearly enough time with my family, but hopefully that will change next year.  My biggest goal for 2020 is to purchase a house, so perhaps I'll write about that experience.  My student loans are finally under $80,000, so it only seems appropriate to acquire more debt, right?

As the sun sets on 2019, I'm wishing everyone a safe holiday season and look forward to writing more in the new year.