A Memoir: The Most Obvious Next Best Step

A couple of weeks ago, a friend suggested a book she read that reminded her of me. Knowing my aversion to reading, she prefaced this by telling me about the audio version. SOLD! The book, The Sound of a Wild Eating Snail (by Elisabeth Tova Bailey), is a memoir about a young woman who became chronically ill overnight with a mysterious ailment. I finished the audio book in 2 days and craved more. 

I started Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness (by Susannah Cahalan) last week and finished this morning. Despite our different diagnoses and symptoms, our stories are uncannily similar. As I listened to her story, I was confused at times because it was as if I was listening to myself talk. So much of what she touches upon, I too have felt, experienced, and vocalized almost verbatim!

Suddenly, the loneliness that encroached on my life a year ago diminished. 

On a much smaller scale, in the same way that these books have been helping me, people have reached out about how my posts have helped them. These are priceless moments, every time. 

I've been told to write a book for some time now and while it was an appealing thought, I wasn't ready. Opening your life up and revealing some of the most personal of feelings and experiences takes an incredible amount of courage and I didn't have it. Even though I've shared a bit through my blog, there has been SO much that I've kept to myself. However, the time feels right and writing has been nothing but cathartic for me throughout this entire health saga. 

I may not be the most prolific writer who uses fancy vocabulary but  I have one helluva story to tell. I promise to write this with integrity and be as raw and candid as I always have been. And you better believe I'll be narrating my own audio book ;) xx