A month ago, I asked those of you who read this blog what you would do if you were me, regarding skyrocketing blog-hosting prices ~ Keep the blog or move on?
All of you responded unanimously to keep it, along with some really nice comments – THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR KIND WORDS!!
Some of you suggested applying for grants.
Many of you said to put a “Buy Me a Coffee” button on the blog because you often support other blogs with that button.
A few of you offered skills.
That’s where Tony comes in…
He and a friend of his came out of the woodwork through their friend Mike. THANK YOU MIKE!
Tony texted me the following message:
Edee! Nice to meet you. Big fan of the blog and interviews — you deserve all the support you’re getting. Happy to geek out on WordPress and see if we can make some gains on storage (I bet we can shave 50-80% off of your storage with no impact to you or your readers). Also looking forward to just meeting and swapping stories. Cheers!
His friend texted this:
If nobody has an easy fix that you like, let me know and I’ll cover the next 3 years. You’re a natural podcast interviewer, I hope it’s fulfilling for you.
Holy cow!!!
Tony dusted off some of his old WordPress skills from a previous career and worked here and there to carefully and mindfully shrink the blog’s size without affecting its quality. Thanks to him, the blog went from 173 gigabytes (that’s 173,000 megabytes) to 36 gigabytes!! That lowered me two plans down to $780 for 3 years!
Then yesterday, his friend paid that 3-year blog-hosting fee!
THANK YOU BOTH!!!!
And they did it with obvious joy.
Good people are all around us, and each of us has unique ways we can help others. That’s something I learned over and over again when I sold books door-to-door one summer during college, despite the statistic that said 32 doors would be slammed in my face for every 1 sale I would make. (You can read that very unusual story later by clicking here.)
I’ve been doing this blog for years because I so enjoy it. I love that it hasn’t been tied to advertisements, and I also love that I get to bring a bit of happiness to someone’s day, whether I’m documenting the stunning beauty around us or remarking on a noteworthy skill an islander has. We all need media that remind us of the peace, beauty, and magnificence life has to offer.
So to have three people connect with each other and then connect with me to say, ‘Hey, we validate what you’re doing with our time and resources, and we hope you continue’ – WOW!!! I think I’m still in a bit of shock!
Moving forward, I’d love to find a grant, and I figured out how to put the “Buy Me a Coffee” button on the blog. If it means that I can put more time into this as the years go on, it would be a ball. Only donate if it gives you pure joy!
And to Mike, Tony, and your other friend, I cannot thank you enough for reaching out and offering to help. What a thing you just did!! There aren’t enough pecan sticky buns at Brown Bear Baking to show my gratitude!
Please reach out to me someday if you ever need help in a way that I cannot guess.
And to those of you reading, remember two things…
One: If you’re in need, ask. No one knows you need help until you ask. Someone will have a way of helping.
Two: Something you love doing may actually be a way that you can help someone else. We don’t have to dream up things we despise doing to help others. All we have to do is use our unique interests and skills to make another’s day. Then joy abounds all around….
Thank you all out there for every type of support you have generously provided, even if it was a few kind words. Words are powerful.
Your comments prompted me to put up a new tab on the blog called Your Words at the top right of the main page. (If you view the blog on your phone, turn your phone horizontally to be able to see the tabs at the top.) I went back through all of the comments on the blog over the past 9 years, and I am deeply thankful for the time each of you took to write a kind word or two.
Remember that as well… Just a few kind words you say today may save a life, give hope where there is little, or provide a grant for someone to do the work they are passionate about doing! We’ll see what happens with the latter…
Providing you joy brings me joy.
And thank you again, Mike, Tony, and Mr. Anonymous. You are phenoms and I am all exclamations!!
