to “hash out” – speak with others about (something); talk (something) over in detail; have a discussion
Lets “hash out” something. Something that we all can relate to. I call this, the Great Commenting Debate.
If I had all the free time in the world, I’d love to sit and read all the great blogs out there. There are way too many too count and way too many to remember. I try to bookmark some, plug in a few to my reader, and then comment “hop” from time to time. Each day I find someone new and I enjoy learning about them. If I read them all each day I think I’d be glued to my computer for a whole 24 hrs.
It seems most bloggers go through this, feeling the need to constantly be reading, posting, commenting. That’s a big GUILT trip isn’t it? We need to give ourselves a little GRACE. Grace that leaves us feeling more balanced and not behind. Grace that leaves us feeling encouraged not discouraged. Grace that leaves us feeling at ease not overwhelmed.
source
Bloggers Grace Points: (these points are what work best for me)
- set out a certain amount of time to read
- on the flip side, remember to time off and disconnect from ALL social media.
- don’t feel the need to play catch up all the time (I know, easier said than done)
- make it valuable (you know what’s important to you, whether it be to share a word of encouragement or just to make someone laugh).
I know I left a lot out, but for now lets start with that.
Since we’re hashing things out today, I’ll leave you with this. The Cotterized “Hash.” Instead of Corn Beef, I used Bison and instead of potatoes and onions, I used roasted beets, corn, and edamame.
BISON and EDAMAME HASH
Ingredients:
- 1-2 cups diced bison sausage (you can buy this cooked as well)
- 1 cup yellow corn
- 1 cup shelled edamame
- 1-2 cup beet halves
- 1 cup diced cherry tomatoes
- oil
- cayenne – (½ tsp.)
- black pepper (½ tsp.)
- garlic (½ tsp.)
- sea salt – dash to season
Directions:
First you want to roast you beets. Heat the oven to around 400F, add a little oil to your beets and some seasoning (sometimes just sea salt, black pepper, and lemon juice work best). Then roast on cookie sheet for about 20-25 minutes turning them once. If can always skip this part and just use canned beets too.
Set aside beets. Add your diced bison to a skillet and cook thoroughly. Then add in the rest of your veggies and spices and sauté with a little oil. If you bought cooked bison sausage, then just add in with the rest of the ingredients.
Place your roasted beets on a bed of salad (or even brown rice) then scoop your Bison Hash on top. Serve with a little Cholula sauce if desired.
Nothing “beets” it! Yes, I had to go there. 
Alright, so now that I’ve “hashed” that out. What are your thoughts?
Do you give yourself grace points?
Cheers to a long weekend!
LC
Oh girl, you are COMPLETELY right on the money with this post! (I must admit, I am playing catch-up at the moment!). If i could comment on the amount of blog posts I read I think it’d need 84938539 hours in a day. And obviously, that’s not the way the world turns. I love all of your bullet points… easier said than done, for sure!
catching up can feel daunting, thats for sure! Start fresh! I like that idea better. But I have to say, thank you for taking time to comment. Now I get to be part of your day. Cheers Allison!
Amen! I needed this post today 🙂
you deserve it! hard working little lady! enjoy that grace!
My blog is new (and small readership base) so this is not as big of an issue for me but I feel you are being very smart about giving yourself well deserved grace. We all need grace from time to time, no matter what we are dealing with in life (blogs or otherwise). We are not perfect people and should not expect ourselves to perform in such a way. You are very wise!
so true Brittnie. We need grace in all areas of life. Be kind to ourselves.
🙂
thanks for the reminder on GRACE!! love this. will help me stay sane. thank you. 🙂
it will keep us both sane! Cheers Hillary.
How did you get to be so wise? I wish I had just an ounce of that! Oh and the hash looks and sounds amazing! YUM! I hope you’re having an incredible weekend my friend!
Wise? I think I got it from talking to you so much. hehe. So…..I need an update from you. pretty please.
i loveee this about grace points!!!!!!!! and the quote about grace as a way to live!!!!!!! so true i love it!!!! and yummm beets are my favvv<33
I hope you are giving yourself some grace this weekend friend. You must be wiped! rest up!
<3
Oh you’re amazing. This is so true and great recommendations! Will I see you at yoga again this week?
yes, I better make it! probably a morning session though. Let me know when you go!
As always, such great advice Lindsay! I’ve gotten in the habit of “catching up” on Saturdays or Sundays when I have time. I might comment on maybe half the blogs, but I always read many many more. It’s easy to get caught up in it all!
Hope you are having a great weekend!
i think sundays are good to catch up too! hey how are you feeling? I hope all is healed friend!
I’ve cut down on the number of blogs I comment on. There just isn’t enough time in the day to hit them all!! It gives me more time to read more blogs. I DO feel guilty though…but that’s the people pleasing perfectionista in me 🙂
i think we need to kick this people pleasing thing. Is there a PPA group? (people pleasers anonymous)
I totally thought you meant twitter hash tags at first! haha:)
I love the idea of grace points.
ahhh haaa!! That might have worked too. Lets see, how do we hash it out via twittering? I bet you could come up with a post on that!
Thankfully by business allows me to be by a computer all day…and I love it, but I do NEED to unplug as well 🙂
I do feel sometimes it is “who’s the most popular” or with the most comments and it gets overwhelming, but I turning inward and seeing where this ego is coming from and realize I can only do what I can do and what make me feel good 🙂
Love your recipes and thoughtful posts!! xxoo
its funny you say that because I recognize the same thing, yet I don’t understand why a comment would define someone as popular. Quality over quantity, right? So thankful for your daily inspiration Kris.
Loving the meal, I actually have never had bison, but it looks good!
I try to comment on blogs, but I don’t feel bad if I don’t, I know I love all my bloggie friends, and they know that wether I comment on thier blog every day or not ; )
Happy Holiday Weekend! xoxo <3
exactly. They know you have priorities and extend that grace! oh and you gotta try bison. I think Anthony would like it too!
Oh I am SO glad you understand this! Ah. I have really, REALLY had to cut back on my commenting lately…I want to keep reading and writing but there’s only 24 hours in a day, and I work for 9 of them, do schoolwork for about 3, train for 1, and then, you know, sleep and shower. Sometimes. haha. So commenting is the thing that goes…because otherwise I wouldn’t even be able to read!
yes, you are one busy woman. SHowering is the least of your worries, haha. Jk! but I am glad to see you emracing that grace.
xxoo
Ok, I’m sorry I didn’t even read the post because your site is soo beautiful!!!!!!! LOVE!!!!!
well you just made me smile big. Thanks Nora! I have to give the credit to my friend Jenn over at peanutbutterjenny.com. She rocks!
Yep, I know what you mean girl! Hence why I cut back on my blogging and computer time. I loved doing it but the day it felt like homework I was out! I’m so glad you extend yourself a little grace : )
Have a wonderful weekend!
Nicole
And you are a better mom/wife for it, I’m sure. Although I am selfish and miss you wonderful posts/recipes. At least I get to catch up with you on FB! phew!
I agree! Thanks for supporting my mini blog break, too! 🙂
of course! i always will! now have a good running weekend. 😛
I really love this!! Words to truly live by!!!
yes, lets plaster it on our foreheads, shall we? hehe.
Thanks for checking in on me today : )
sometimes i feel like i “have” to comment to show the blogger some love & let them know they’re being heard. but sometimes i just don’t know what to say & i feel like i’m just throwing something out there. also, i get to where i don’t want to read the post unless i know i have time to comment. it is such a guilt trip (that i put on myself!) thanks for your grace points & for making me rethink why i read blogs in the first place – for community/strength/entertainment & it should be fun, not guilt producing!
totally agree. And never feel like you have to comment. Even though we love hearing from each other, I know that takes time and sometimes life is just way more important. LIKE CAMPING!!
😛
Such a smart post, my friend! Wise words. I’ve spent less and less time in front of my laptop, and more time unplugged out there living life. I do feel that guilt, though, from time to time! I can tend to be a bit behind, but I just have to strive for balance and keep moving for forward! 🙂
you know you were my inspiration behind this little topic. I’ve seen you grow through “unplugging” and it is encouraging! thank you friend, as always!!
love you.
Oh girl, my Google Reader is forever behind ever since I started this new job on June. It was sad to not have as much time to read/comment on blogs, but after several weeks of being behind I realized that “catching up” just isn’t going to happen unless I spend an entire weekend devoted to it and that’s no way to spend a weekend! Aaanyway, I hear ya. I think most bloggers know where you are coming from and are more than happy to extend grace. 🙂
ya and then after that weekend you’d never want to read a blog again. haha. Balance is key, oh and of course…GRACE!
thanks Rach!
I know what you mean Linds. I felt that especially when I started blogging.
If it means anything, I check your blog out v often because I LOVE reading your posts….not for any other reason 🙂
well thank you. I appreciate anyone who takes time to read. But then again, we all have lives to live, so giving each other grace is needed. Right? Cheers to you Jayme!
I can tell you, as a person who is on sick leave and seemingly has all the time in the world (and best excuse ever really) to sit and do nothing but read blogs all day – I STILL don’t have enough time to get through them all and comment!! I used to drive myself crazy trying to go through every blog and comment but there just aren’t enough hours in the day. That’s why I rely more on things like Twitter, Facebook, responding to comments on my own blog via e-mail, to connect with other bloggers. I find it’s faster, and then I can sit down and go through their posts when I really have the time and attention for it. I enjoy it more that way instead of just trying to speed through as many as I can as fast as I can.
and that is great feedback. Its more personal too! I like your thinking susan, but then again I always have! Hope you get some time away this weekend. Oh and waffles, lots of them.
😉
I’ve been MIA from reading blogs for about a week now and I was actually feeling really guilty about it… until yesterday, when I re-oriented my thoughts about the whole thing. Sometimes life needs to be lived live, not online. Absolutely. 🙂
well said, LC.
well said steph! life is best lived LIVE! i love your wisdom. Cheers!
I totally agree, Lindsay. It is like a competition, who can read the most blogs, get the most comments…we need to remember why we do this in the first place. Hopefully you just love to write and share. Whether I get 0 comments or 100, I know that I was putting something out there that is important to me and I hope other people liked it too 🙂
yes, lets share and encourage. Not try to keep up with the Jones’, ya know? Well said Tracy!
Aah I love you for writing this!! I do feel SO guilty about it sometimes, when I don’t have the time to reply or comment back! I get worried people think I don’t appreciate them… But I LOVE your ‘grace’ points and I will try to have more of it 🙂
They should know you by now and know that you would NEVER think that! I know i would never think about you. Time is precious and we all need that little grace for each other. Love you friend!
Hi! I just found your blog because the lovely Alyssa (Life of bLyss) tagged us on Twitter 🙂 I feel the same way about reading blogs. It can get overwhelming. But I’ll bite my tongue, because I just arranged my homepage and removed one blog and added yours! I love it! I hope you have a great weekend!
haha, i got swapped? thats awesome! no need to tell by who. hehe! Glad to connect Colleen and happy Friday!
Great post Lindsay! Sometimes I feel that the blogging world is all about popularity… but seriously not all of the time. When I first started my blog, I was so upset when no one would comment, but then I realized that I am writing for ME to get my feelings and thoughts out. If anyone reads it, I am beyond honored and appreciate everyone’s input 100% of the time. But I no longer worry about how many comments I am getting, or how many I leave for others, it’s the content that counts
and that is why I love you. Completely honest, out there, and YOU! people will always read when its genuine.
well said beautiful!!! Michelle and I go through periods where we are really good about commenting and than life pops again we have to cut back some! it is hard to balance it all out, we struggle with it from time to time, but I agree with all need the grace period 😉 and taking time away is important even if it is mentally hard to do. we are always finding new blogs that we love and are like ‘ wow how can we keep up with so many’ so we have had to cut back on some. like you said not enough time in the day! xoxo
its just not physically possible, you are riight. ANd probably a good thing too. We need a mentally break from that. Because when we do have that time, its much more purposeful. ya know? I think you two have a nice balance. No worries about that!
Really need to adopt the grace approach – I think it’s just another activity that is intended to contribute to achieving a balanced life. No extremes. Live life, love life, accept life and be grateful for it
It’s easy to say, hard to do. Full credit to you – you seem to be so proactive in seeking and achieving balance. For someone like me, who tends to latch onto extremes of fitness / food / habits, I view that as an extremely enviable courage to have
Kudos
i don’t think anyone is completely balanced. we all strive for it but it takes time and just life to happen in general right? You might be extreme but you are also passionate. Now its just a matter of finding the balance one day at a time. Right k?
Oh goodness, I can definitely relate to “the great commenting debate.” When I visit blogs, I like to read the post in it’s entirety, absorb the information, and then respond in a thoughtful way. This means that what the number of posts I’m able to read in a given length of time is quite fewer than if I chose to skim through. As a result, I often feel very guilty for not keeping up, and commenting on, all of my friends’ blogs on a regular basis. But I know that if I didn’t respond in a way that shows I really care about what the person wrote, I’d feel guilty too! Haha…Oh well, I guess the best approach is to just do what feels right on any given day. Sometimes that’s spending several hours on my computer, and sometimes it’s shutting it off for a day or two. 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing your wisdom, Lindsay! <3
wow, now I feel even more honored to have you read and comment dear friend. I like how you approach it. Its about how you feel on that day. Investing versus stressing!
Great post! I just cleaned out my reader because I was getting overwhelmed with all the blogs…and right now I’m more than enough stressed. I told myself it’s ok to only read my favorites and only comment when I have something to say!
yep, do it! so that means I got the special comment, right? tee-hee. No more feeling overwhelmed, instead lets feel refreshed!
i used to get all stressed about commenting and stuff but then i just relaxed and realized ‘uh this is supposed to be fun!’
yes fun not like homework! right? Hope the cubicle time is going by fast! hehe.
This was an excellent post. As a new blogger, when I read different blogs, it seems like some people just must sit at their computers posting all day! It is easy to get sucked up into that trap!
very easy, but i think its good to create some space. Ya know? Glad to meet another Lindsay with an A!
😉
I struggle with The Comment Issue all the time, too. I wish there were more hours in a day… =/
i’d say your quite the busy bee Amber. A travel guru! We love reading and seeing all the places you go. You can read/comment after you have your fun and rest up. hehe.
Aw, Linds this is AWESOME! SO necessary to be said. I read so many bloggers feeling “blogger guilt” and I’m like “WHY SO SERIOUS?”
People apologize to me for not commenting or they say “I read your blog still, I promise” and it is SO weird to me.
I really don’t think anyone should read my blog, so I am not hurt at all if no one does. It is — again– very weird.
But I kind of wish there was a way to “tag” a post like graffitti style. When you read and you just want to say “Hi! I have nothing to add or no time to comment but..”Hi!”
Where is the “Missy wuz here” button? *giggle* So ghetto.
you nailed it! yes, there’s never a need to apologize for not having time. You have a life! I am just glad to know you. hehe. I like the graffitti style. I’d totally be down for that or even a huge LIKE button for posts. haha.
I think I need to wear grace around my neck right now. so being hard on myself. grace is something we need to live out.
doing nothing this weekend so have a good one for me!
yes, pick up the FREE GRACE. you earned it! Enjoy doing nothing, sometimes thats the best.
Great tips! I always limit myself to mornings for blogging. I read/comment/blog for two hours in the morning and then always committ to unplugging at night. This seems to be a good balance for me. 🙂
yep, i like your style Rachelle. You make me smile from ear to ear! And thats hard to do. 😀
Mmmmm. hash!
I agree with the blogging thing—it adds value to my life, but if it becomes a stressor or obligation, then I have to re-evaluate!
There’s real life to live out there, so bloggy world comes second! That being said, I do love to check in on my blends regularly so I don’t miss anything 🙂
I think we put that pressure on ourselves and we are the only ones making it an obligations or stressor, right? So stepping back and re-evaluating is a GRAND plan!
I’m not very good at giving myself a break – in anything. I think that leads to a feeling that I am constantly “behind” – which is not a very positive mental feeling. I definitely need to learn to cut myself some slack in every aspect of life – not just blogging – but even with weight. Right now, gaining weight is a good thing – but that didn’t stop me from being totally depressed when I a pair of jeans I purchased just two weeks ago was uncomfortably tight. Instead, I resolve to return them (hopefully the lack of tags won’t be a problem), and use that money to buy a pair that fits my newer “curves!”
FYI – even though I only know you through blogging, I still feel strangely like you are moving away from me when you head to New Zealand. Strange, right? Or maybe I’m just looking for an excuse to take a trip?
Laura, we are way to hard on ourselves sometimes. Finding balance in life takes time and effort. Effort to “let go” is harder than it seems, right? It will come, no pressure. hehe. And I am not moving away at all! I hope you feel even closer when I do go to NZ. I will have more to share for sure. and there are so many great GF foods down there. YOu must come!
thank you Lindsay! always so wise! i feel the same way-guilty for not being able to read everyones blogs…..great tips and i am going to follow them 🙂 enjoy your weekend!
And as busy as you are, I still am impressed! so take time off this weekend and enjoy!
This is precisely how I approach blogging, no wonder we’re such great friends 😉 I totally try to make any comment I leave a meaningful comment vs a “drive by” comment and I only blog when I have something meaningful to say or share. I try to keep up with all of my favorite blogs and do a good job of it most of the time, but just because I’m not always commenting doesn’t mean I’m not always reading. I think that’s good for all of us to keep in mind, we are always lurking even if you can’t tell based on a blog comment, right?
ahh love that term, “drive by commenting.” PERFECT! i’m gonna use it and I just might do a drive by later.haha.
There are a ton of blogs that I read and hardly ever comment on. I used to try to read + comment on a million blogs each day but it just isn’t worth it. I wanted to let them know I read their post, but you just can’t do everything in one day + work + have a life! So I comment when I have something to say, which isn’t all the time. On the weekends I read some blogs but not many, and oftentimes I just click “mark all as read” on Sunday nights and start over on Monday.
One of my favorite things to see on the weekend is a low # in the reader. That means people are off living life first instead of blogging. So hitting mark all as read can be nice too. Fresh start!
I definitely read more than I comment on. I don’t have many followers though…of course, I love the ones I do have! Being attached to my phone/Internet makes disconnecting a little tough but I have been doing much better lately and I like it! Feeling guilty over not reading, commenting or whatever shouldnt happen but unfortunately it does.
Happy Friday my sweet friend!
Hugs to you : )
i like to leave my phone at home sometimes for the reason! I’ve done it before and it feels weird but oh so good! ya know? Happy HEALTHY BITES Friday.
Yum that does look good! I definitely feel guilty if I don’t comment on certain blogs every single day. And that really does take up so much time! Also, I feel guilty when there are readers who comment on my blog, but I just don’t have enough time to read theirs as well.
never feel guilty friend, you have a life to live first. Sometimes I write down a blog that I might want to go back and read later when I do have time. That helps. You don’t have to do everything right away, although we often feel that way, right? Have a wonderful weekend Linds. Hows the running coming?
You have a good weekend too!! It’s going well, thanks 🙂
This is so true…I always want to comment and read, but I really did find it stressful…like, oh no, i’m behind! :-O which is silly, cause we can’t do everything in our day all the time 🙂 so now I do what you suggested and set aside 30 minutes for blog reading and commenting each day (or around that much) and set a timer…it really helps me be productive, but still get around the blog world! I love your idea of grace – thank you so much for sharing and reiterating to me what I already thought…and I love the ways you suggested for practising grace <3 Have a beautiful weekend, Lindsay! xyx
and if we did have all that time to comment/read then we’d probably have no life ourselves, right? haha. I am with you on the 30 minutes for blog reading. Its the perfect amount of time.
I play catch up a lot too, especially when I’m at school. I’m not sure if it bothers me though, because I like coming home and reading a bunch of fantastic content 🙂
oh you can read at school? now I’d much rather be doing that than studying, haha. Don’t repeat that! ENjoy your reading time Katie and make those connections!
🙂
I’ll admit to pressing ‘mark all as read’ when I get too far behind on my google reader. And feeling relieved.
I let myself have a set amount of time, as I don’t want to spend too much time in front of a screen for a hobby. If it was my job and I could justify that it was bringing money in for my family, maybe. But, for a hobby, it should be enjoyable and done in moderation.
Happy weekend to you friend!
what a great word- enjoyable! I love the way you think Michelle. Happy weekend to you too! any fun activities?
Great post!!!! I’ll definitely remember these grace points! 😀
Completely agree! I have learned to do the same…read what I can, comment on what I am compelled too and know that no matter what, I’m reading and commenting and following those that I can really connect and relate to. And if I miss a few? That person won’t mind. (and if they do, perhaps not worth the read!). Must try that hash! LOOKS SO GOOD! (not that I have even HAD Bison!)
you’ve read my mind. Yep! glad we Hashed that out Jo! hehe. Okay, and not I must get you to try bison!
Since starting a anew blog, I haven’t felt the guilt/need to comment/read EVER. I never really felt guilt about not commenting before, but I didn’t like the feeling I’d get when my reader was FULL either. Now, with work starting and my life just being crazy in general, I feel zero desire to read everything. I pick and choose on a daily basis. Some days I just hit delete all. Its feels great.
I would never be upset if someone did it to my blog, so why worry when I do it?
you know I love you even more because of this. I hit the delete button when life is crazy and ya, your life is way crazy. But at least I get to read about it now. hehe.
I can totally relate, it’s often not possible to keep up with everything unless I spent the whole day glued to the computer! And who wants to do that!? I often feel the need to play catch up when I see my google reader after a busy day, sometimes I feel guilty if I can’t get everything read but then I realize that there is no point for the guilt because its much more enjoyable to read when the pressure is off.
I think of it like this: in T.V shows and movies you don’t often see the characters watching T.V or movies. Why? Because they are living their life, and doing their own exciting thing rather then spending ALL there time watching others lives! It should be the same with blogging, it’s a great community and great to read what others are up too, but I need to ALSO live my own life 🙂
yes, well said Sarah. LIVE life first and then you get to share more of it, right?!
Great point my dear. It can be frustrating though b/c it sometimes feels like a big popularity game. And it shouldn’t be that way. It should be about that communal experience, the sharing of ideas, inspiration not about who has the most commenters or well she’s not commenting on my blog I’m not commenting on her’s now kind of thing. And I’ve seen that happen. It’s nearly impossible to keep up!
i know, shouldn’t be that way at all. We put way to much pressure to “perform” in this area. Sharing life and encouragement instead. Love you!
I try to play catch-up all the time! I feel sometimes if I miss a day I’ll never catch up. Haha. Luckily for me, my blog is still small, so it’s easier. <3
ah your blog is full of life Katy! No blog is small to me. And happy birthday!!!!