Amanda Tero's Blog, page 2

Pacing vs. Busyness

Pacing.

 

A word I associated with pointless walking a few years ago, now defines itself as leaving enough “white space” in your day to recovery from activity of any level. Or, taking plenty of breaks all day long.

 

As a pianist and college student, pacing is hard. It means saying “no” to countless things I want to do and carefully measuring what I am doing.

 

I had a hard crash after just week one of the winter trimester (basically, three days in bed), struggled through week two with a few min...

Is Reality Stunting My Happiness?

I woke up for the first time in a long time without feeling like death warmed over.

 

My first reactions were, “Thank You, Lord!” and “I will so enjoy this bliss!”

 

Then came the barrage…

 

“Is this because I forgot yesterday afternoon’s antibiotics, so it’s just an illusion?” (Not likely, I have done that before and still felt sick)

 

“I feel better… just in time for five evening rehearsals and concerts to throw me into another crash.” (Which is very likely to happen)

 

“Yayyyy… now I can add ...

When we want to ask God “Why?”

 

What if, instead of asking God “why?” we ask Him, “What do you want me to learn from this?”

 

Little did I know…

 

This thought came to mind when I had my initial health crash. I definitely wasn’t talking about it then, because I thought I would bounce back after a few days’ rest.

 

Two years later, I’m still “learning from this” and from where I’m standing today, it looks like I’ll also be “learning from this” the rest of my life.

 

I’m so glad God embeds gifts of learning in life’s journey....

Make Your Own Memories

A friend shared this with me a few months ago, and it has stuck in my mind.

 

 

“Find one joyful memory each day.”

 

In our eagerness to get to the weekend, the next vacation, the next holiday… let’s not miss the joy of today that can be found in small moments.

 

What small memory are you treasuring from today? This month?

 

*originally shared on Instagram @withajoyfulnoise

 

The post Make Your Own Memories appeared first on Amanda Tero.

A Thought about Small Goals

Do you set small goals?

By default, I’m a big goal-maker. However, I’m learning to set smaller goals.

 

One of my small goals for the winter has been to walk a short distance each day (namely, to/from the music building at college, approximately 1/4 mile from my dorm).

 

 

We’ll see how determined I am to keep that goal when the South hits winter weather. So far, it has been hit or miss without the weather to blame.

 

I’m still pondering my goals for 2022 (besides prepping for my senior recita...

When Life Forces Choices

Chronic illness forces choices. I still rebel against my limitations and struggle making choices that “shouldn’t be there”… but at the same time, I’m realizing the beauty of limitations.

 

By not doing it all, I more greatly value the few things I can do.

To give you a glimpse of my last week before Christmas break, I was able to…

 Perform in 3 evening concerts (and make their rehearsals)

 

All of which were pretty high on my priority list this season.

 

But the choice cost me… Skipped clas...

When We Compare Ourselves to… Ourselves…

The comparison game is a dangerous trap.

 

Many of us know this and preach it to ourselves.

 

But do we apply the same rules to ourselves?

 

“Five years ago, I could…”

“It was much better when…”

“Before this happened…”

 

 

Comparing where we are today to where we were years ago could be helpful or harmful.

 

Helpful, if we are using our past to encourage our today.

 

Harmful, if our past is discouraging us from looking forward and making progress.

 

 

I realized this year that the self-compari...

A Book with Action, Terror, and Excitement

Action edged the pages from chapter one. If you like suspense that keeps you running with the characters, this will be a good one to pick up. However, if you hate the thought of serial killers, you will want to pass this one. It is always disturbing to think about what goes on in the mind of a serial killer. It is portrayed as well as depicted as sick and ugly, but it is in there.

There were some twists I did not see coming as well as a few that were obvious to me, but I still enjoyed reading t...

A 5-star Suspense You Don’t Want to Miss!

This is the thrilling start to another series by Natalie Walters! It was a mental challenge keeping up with the ins and outs of potential threats and cyber war featuring a cameo of so many different intelligence departments.

 

The SNAP team is absolutely amazing. Kekoa is possibly one of my favorites with his Hawaiian heritage that shines on every page he appears. But the whole team is cast of diverse and likable characters.

 

The romance was slow and sweet (and once again… Kekoa was the best p...

Another Great Mississippi Suspense!

I am still loving this Christian suspense series primarily because it is set in the Deep South (Mississippi), my heart. It is also fascinating to discover tidbits of Natchez history or historical landmarks that I have not yet visited.

The mystery in this was good. It was multi-faceted, and even though I guessed some of the angles, there were many others that I did not figure out, which always means I enjoy it. It does have some sad motives in it.

The romance was more slow-paced. There were some...