Amanda Herring, Writer

Glad you're here! 💜 From Evolution to Survival: navigating the beauty and challenges of midlife all while fighting glioblastoma terminal brain cancer with grace and dignity.

Stories & Reflections

Learning to Slow Down: I don’t know how.

In Stories & Reflections  •  by Amanda Herring, Writer, August 21, 2024  •   1 Comment
I know how to do a lot of things. I know how to start a new business, from the Secretary of State paperwork to the policies and procedures. I know how to get a crying three year old not only into the dance room but...

Authentic Connection vs. Superficial Attention: Pick Your Pony

In Stories & Reflections  •  by Amanda Herring, Writer, August 9, 2024  •   Leave a Comment
I don’t want to make small talk. I want to know the meaning of your tattoo, why you have that scar above your eyebrow, how you look away if someone tells you you’re pretty. I don’t want to compliment your dress. It’s cute, but I...

Dealing with Hard People, Growing In Grace

In Stories & Reflections  •  by Amanda Herring, Writer, August 7, 2024  •   Leave a Comment
Some people are hard. You know how you know? When you’re around them, you have some kind of physical reaction – an uneasy tummy, your heart rate goes up, you feel yourself having to take a deep breath, your eyes squint. Hard people stir your...

Slowing Down & Prioritizing: Insights from Overgrown Trees

In Stories & Reflections  •  by Amanda Herring, Writer, August 6, 2024  •   Leave a Comment
The tree service arrived this morning at 7:15 pm. It was already hot. I had been up since 5:45 am so I could read and drink coffee in peace before the chain saws started screeching. They took a section of my fence out, so they...

“Unfriend me.”

In Stories & Reflections  •  by Amanda Herring, Writer, August 5, 2024  •   Leave a Comment
Kindness seems to be limited to those people who have earned it against our rigorous standards for living and self-aggrandized moral compass. We have decided that we know how to act and how to be, and if people are on board with that, then we...

Diverticulitis Scare

In Stories & Reflections  •  by Amanda Herring, Writer, August 3, 2024  •   Leave a Comment
There are two principles that can not be disputed, denied, or avoided: First, if you are removed from the world under whatever circumstances, it will go on without you, and there is nothing you can do about it. The merry-go-round is spinning, you will fall...

Oysters…for the first time…

In Stories & Reflections  •  by Amanda Herring, Writer, July 22, 2024  •   Leave a Comment
Oysters. I have always thought they looked like snot on the half shell. The slimy-looking, spillway-smelling, gelatinous sputum (oh my gosh, how crass!) never looked appetizing to me. Then there we were, in the middle of the French Quarter, with cajun-seasoned friends from the bayou,...

Social Media…I’m learning…

In Stories & Reflections  •  by Amanda Herring, Writer, July 18, 2024  •   Leave a Comment
This whole Facebook world is beyond my comprehension. I’m learning (I think), and I’m trying, but Brother, I stay bewildered. For instance… Everyone seems to respond well to short pieces. I’m not sure if folks have the attention span of a gnat or what but...

New Business – Lavender Lane Creative

In Stories & Reflections  •  by Amanda Herring, Writer, July 17, 2024  •   Leave a Comment
I prayed a lot about my new venture. In case you missed it, I rolled it out yesterday. It’s called Lavender Lane Creative, and I am anxious and excited. I have been home, officially, for a few days shy of 2 months, and here I...

Opening A New Business

In Stories & Reflections  •  by Amanda Herring, Writer, July 16, 2024  •   Leave a Comment
So here I am, the big preacher of “if you’re scared, do it scared” doing something scared. Yep, I just put out the word that I am starting a new venture, Lavender Lane Creative, in a couple of weeks. Scary. I won’t tell you I’m...