Five Things I Learned in 2017

Amazingly, another year has passed at PracticeBalance. This blog has now been alive for more than 6 years! Like any long-lived blog, the subject matter here has certainly taken a winding path, as my life has changed dramatically since its inception. I’ve addressed burnout and illness, transitioning from being a trainee to a boss, my journey of infertility turned pregnancy turned motherhood, and everything in between while trying to navigate life with a sustainable kind of balance.

Looking back at my 2017 posts, I wished there were more… but instead of adhering to a rigorous posting schedule at a time when toddler life introduces myriad twists and turns into every day, I chose to post only when the inspiration was there. Here are five things I learned this year, related to the top 5 most read posts of 2017.

• I learned that, despite the fact that a central theme of my blog is self care, I am not immune to a serious upper respiratory infection. It took over a month for me to clear the one I talk about in the fifth most read post from last January. Since it was published, I’ve learned of even more immune boosters… but hopefully I don’t start 2018 off feeling the way I felt this past January.

• My department at work held a fun ladies’ lunch last spring, which I wrote about in the fourth most read post. It reminded me that I need to actively cultivate all my female friendships, because it’s so easy to slip into a work-work out-family mode. Of the four Realms of Balance, I would say that Community is the one that lags behind for me. Something to strive for in 2018.

• The third most read post of 2017 was inspired by my quest for increased mobility and strength after that long winter illness. A base of functional fitness is important not just for athletes but also for anyone who might experience a period of downtime due to illness or surgery. I spent time training for and completing a strength challenge this year, and I was able to finally get my first pull-up (something that was one my resolutions post a few years ago!).

• I’m still working on the skills discussed in the second most read post of 2017. Any time things don’t go the way I expect them to, I have a choice to move in a positive direction or to further deplete my emotional bank account. And I notice when I’m not making the necessary deposits to said account, like when I’ve ignored my journal or spent too much time looking at my phone.

• The top ranked post of the year was actually a short ode to my daughter and the attempts at communication that she was making right under my nose. It’s easy to compartmentalize, rank and compare our children, and I was guilty of worrying about her verbal abilities. I learned that sometimes I need to slow down and appreciate exactly what she is doing in any given moment. Now at the end of 2017, she’s constructing simple sentences and seems to understand all sorts of abstract terms!