Tolerance is a Lie.

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I have lots of great friends. Some are straight, some are gay, some are lesbian. Some are Christian, some are Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Agnostic, and Atheist. Some are hardline conservatives, some are far-left liberals. Some are so libertarian they make Ayn Rand look like a communist. Some are conspiracy theorists, and some are hippies. Some are hipsters, and some are suburbanites. Some are Calvinists, and some are Catholics. Some are filthy rich, and some are dirt poor. And you know what?

I don’t tolerate them. I love them.

I tolerate my lower back pain. I tolerate Nashville summers. I tolerate my dog being smelly after running around in the rain. I don’t tolerate other human beings.

The very essence of the word “tolerance” implies that we must somehow “put up” with each others differences. That they cause us suffering, or annoyance, and these “others” are hardships to be endured.

There are three basic ways you can relate to another person:

Love.

Hate.

Indifference.

Tolerance assumes hate, or at the least, indifference.

I choose love. Love runs toward, not away. It sees the humanity in someone else, despite their differences and perceived errors in belief or action. It seeks the common good.

When Jesus walked the earth, He didn’t simply tolerate the masses who followed him. He loved them. He healed them. He befriended them, ate with them, drank with them, celebrated with them, mourned with them, had compassion on them.

Tolerance is a lie, and for those who already entertain hatred or indifference in their hearts, it makes them feel like they cannot be honest about their own feelings. If we never address our deep-seated fears of the “other”, but simply sweep them under the rug of tolerance, they will never change.

It is only in close proximity to the “other” that our fears typically vanish, and we see the humanity and beauty in another member of God’s creation. Tolerance keeps us at a safe distance. But hey, at least we are staying on the right side of political correctness. How useless; how vain.

There are only three options: Love, hate, or indifference. Which one do you choose?

Mompreneurship: 5 Rookie Tips

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mom-pruh-nur-definitionThe past 6 months have been quite the roller coaster! Since founding SavvySocial, I have had the opportunity to reconfigure my entire schedule and find my own personal rhythm with work. For the first time, I have had the opportunity to discover the way that I work best. Of course, juggling this with motherhood has been an interesting challenge, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. To me there is nothing more important than having the freedom to decide what I do with my time.

Here are a few “rookie” tips that I have learned so far:

1) Find your own rhythm. When you work for someone else, you are on their time. Once you become self-employed, you have the daunting task of  becoming your own CEO. It only took me a few weeks to discover my bad habits, my distractions, and the ways in which I would sabotage my productivity. Be aware of your own pitfalls, and be willing to make changes as needed to make the most of your time at work.

2) Find the right location. Where you work is just as important as when. I work away from home and have childcare two days per week. It took me several months to find the right spot where I feel comfortable digging in and getting into a flow. Right now I frequent two coffee shops. Good coffee and fast wi-fi are an absolute must for me, as well as a place that has a low din, but not too much noise. Find a spot that you love and stick with it!

3) Wherever you are, be all there.  As moms, we know how tough it can be to stay “present”- when we are playing with the kids, we are thinking of all the work we need to get done. When we are working, we are thinking about the kids, and missing them. And then, the guilt. As a mompreneur, we have to banish the guilt. Be confident in your choices as a mama and as a CEO, and find other ladies who can support you. And wherever you are, be all there.

4) Work smart. What resources and tools can make your work simpler and more productive?  I personally love Things, Evernote, Hootsuite, Sendible, ByWord, Quickbooks, Harvest, and 1Password, and use these programs daily. Whatever industry you are in, find the best tools that will help you to be more productive in a shorter period of time. Because we all know, we did not become mompreneurs to put in the 50-hour workweek that we had pre-baby! Am I right mamas?

5) Remember your “why”.  This is something we must remind ourselves daily. It is so easy to get bogged down in the to-do lists and everyday tasks, and let those things consume us. Hang on tight to your “why”-  every day, remind yourself why you started this business, and how it serves you and your family. Remember, you are the boss! And you are enough. Change course if needed, and know that your kids love and respect you for the amazing woman that you are.

My One Word for 2013: Dwell.

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This will be my first year participating in the One Word 365 journey, and I am so excited. I have several different resolutions and goals this year, but I am intrigued by the idea of choosing one word, and seeing how it shapes my life. This year, I have chosen the word DWELL.

Here is the definition:

To live as a resident; reside; to exist in a given place or state; to fasten one’s attention; to remain for a time.

  • There are over 180 mentions of the word “dwell” in Scripture- many of them pertaining to God dwelling with the Israelites in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, the primary focus is on Christ, who now dwells in the hearts of believers. Although I know that Christ dwells within me, over the past year, I have continually felt God urging me to be the one who is doing the “dwelling”. To stop constantly acting, doing, planning, striving. To just sit. To linger in the quiet moments. To hear His voice more clearly.
  • Not only do I want to dwell with God, but also with my daughter. Children are constantly in the present moment. Being highly “futuristic”, I am always thinking about what needs to happen next. What do I need to do to move forward? To make progress? To accomplish something today, to feel productive, to feel worthwhile? There is a time and a place for that, I know. But there are moments during the day when Evie just wants to play and be together. Priceless moments, that someday I will look back on and yearn for. And so I will dwell with her in those moments.
  • I also want to live fully in the present. To not constantly be worrying about tomorrow, or next week, or next month. But to dwell in each moment, and make the very most of it. To soak it in. To fasten my attention to what God is doing, and to be grateful for it.
I heard a quote from Ann Voskamp a few years back that still rings so true:
“In Christ, there is no need for haste. We are not losing time. We are standing on the edge of eternity. Only the amateurs hurry.”
This year, I’m going pro.

Paleo & Seasonal Meal Planning with Evernote

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For the past two years or so, my husband and I have adopted the Paleo eating framework and try to eat mostly Paleo at home when we can. I will never pretend that we don’t fall off the wagon too many times to count, but we always do our best to stock our pantry and fridge with wholesome, unprocessed foods. This past year I discovered the wonders of Evernote, and have been using it to “file my life”, as I like to call it.

So, I decided… why not use the amazing Evernote to help me plan seasonal/local AND Paleo meals? This could only make for more yummy and less stressful eating in my house. So I went for it. And it has been great! Here is the scoop:

First, I created separate notebooks in Evernote for each season. All “stacked” under the main “Food and Meals” notebook. More about stacks here. 

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Then, I made a list of the veggies available in Tennessee for each season. This would be my guide for deciding which notebook to file my recipes. For example, anything with parsnips is going into my “Winter Recipes” notebook. Obviously there can be a great deal of overlap here, but you get the jist. 

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Then came the fun part… populating each notebook with my favorite Paleo recipes! I took photos of the recipes in a few of my favorite Paleo cookbooks, including Everyday Paleo and Paleo Comfort Foods. I also used the Evernote web clipper to clip many recipes from some of my favorite Paleo blogs and websites. My goal was to have at least 15 dinner recipes for each season. I wanted to establish some great “go-to” dishes for our household that we could rely on each season, but change it up every 3 months so we wouldn’t get bored. 

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Last but not least, about those grocery lists. Nasty little buggers. All of our best laid plans for amazing meals can go perfectly awry without a good list, available at the right time. How would I translate all this yummy Paleo and seasonal goodness into reality? Enter the magic app for Evernote called SayMmm.

With SayMmm, I simply tag any recipe that I would like to make that week with the “SayMmm” tag, and it automatically populates the “SayMmm” folder. (Be sure to hit “sync” a few times to make sure it works.) Then I hit the handy dandy “combine lists” button, and Voila! All of the recipes I need for the week have been created as a perfectly simple grocery list!

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And of course, with the Evernote app for iPhone, I can access these lists while I am wandering the aisles at Trader Joe’s. And since my husband and I share an Evernote account, I can ask him to pick up the groceries, and he can! It’s beautiful. 

Here’s to eating healthy and local with ease in 2013!