Make a Difference and Comment!

Blogging has inadvertently become a career for me. Admittedly there are days when I wish things could go back to the way they were when I started blogging four years ago. At that time, comments were king (Queen) and I surfed around the internet commenting like there was no tomorrow. Many times I’d comment in excess of 100 times a day for the pure love of community and with the hope that someone would visit my little ole blog. Commenting enabled me to meet people from all of the country and all over the world. My friends who “lived” in my computer helped me survive my lonely existence working from home and the rough days of early motherhood. Today, not only am I happy to say that I’ve had the absolute pleasure of meeting many of my online friends in real life but I can honestly say that several of my best friendships were cultivated online.

Times have certainly changed. Commenting seems to be a thing of the past, I know that my own habits have changed drastically in that regard. I find myself interacting not on blogs but primarily on facebook followed by twitter as a distant second. But with this post, I’d like to return to the time when comments were Queen! I am a participant in Blogust and I along with 30 other bloggers are making our comments count! Each comment generated on this post is equivalent to a $20 donation for four life-saving vaccinations for a vulnerable child in a developing nation. In conjunction with the UN Foundation's Shot@Life program we are aiming for 10,000 comments - $200,000 in donations! A child dies every 20 seconds from a vaccine preventable disease. We can help stop this.

You can learn more about Shot@Life by joining their email list, following them on twitter or liking them on Facebook.

By leaving a comment you will be making a difference and I’d like to share with you how comments have helped me change my life. If you are not familiar with my story, in late 2009 I decided I was ready to lose my “extra” weight. At the time I was classified as obese and I began a journey to healthy living.  Over the next 8 months I lost 50 pounds and in October 2010 I ran my first half-marathon. This upcoming weekend I will be running number 11 as I train for my first marathon in October.

Without the support of my community, I would never achieve my goals. I say this in the present tense because comments on my facebook posts specifically, still keep me accountable and encourage me to continue on my journey. I’ve been inspired by words from my friends like Sharon and Lorraine who support me unconditionally in everything I do. I am pushed off of the couch by friends like Sara and Buck, who just last week told me to get up and run the couch would be waiting when I return. I have the email and YouTube messages asking me for help and describing how I unknowingly am an inspiration for others.

Yes, comments can save lives. During my darkest hours my friends have virtually been by my side. They've supported me on my good days and my bad. For that I am grateful. And with your comment today (and during the rest of August) you can change the course of a life! The virtual baton has been passed to me by Shannon and tomorrow I am passing it on to Elena. But today, please comment here and ask your friends to comment too. 10,000 lives can be changed by the power of social good!