This Week
I hope you all have managed to maintain some shred of normalcy this week. This has been a challenging one for me. My father injured himself (thankfully he’s a fast healer) and is having complications as a result of his Alzheimer’s. I was planning on flying down to Ohio to spend some time with him in March but had to postpone this due to the Coronavirus. I’m considering a road trip and we’ll see how this pans out in the next few weeks. It’s a fifteen hour drive from Saint Paul to Columbus, Ohio. I used to be able to drive it in one day when I was younger but I’m thinking I’ll have to break that drive up into two days now.
Economic Tsunami
The economic impact of the state-mandated stay at home provision is really starting to surface here in the Twin Cities, as I’m sure they are around the world. We’re beginning to see the ripples of the coming economic tsunami --- local restaurants, some of them staples on the Minneapolis/Saint Paul food scene, announcing permanent closures. We’ve just seen two in the past few days. I’m also seeing individuals on social media starting to panic because their stimulus checks are almost gone and their bank accounts are emptying out fast without a steady source of income.
Doing What We Can, Where We Are
I decided yesterday that I would go searching for a way to offer help on a local level. I found a local charity Hope Breakfast Bar. Once the State ordered the restaurant to close in March, owner Brian Ingram, decided he would use his restaurant and culinary skills to help the community. Hope Breakfast Bar is now serving meals to 1,000-2,000 people per day to families in need, first responders, and medical staff working on the front lines during the pandemic. 10,000 meals per week! The positive impact of this blew my mind. Brian's act of tremendous kindness is creating a ripple effect that will likely help millions, directly and indirectly, in the process.
After hearing his story I began thinking about how I could best use my own platform to help. I decided to donate 100% of the proceeds from my book sales of The Perfect Pause and Alarm Clock Dawn during the month of May to this local charity. You can also donate to the charity directly via the link below.
Donate directly to Hope Breakfast Bar
Link to purchase The Perfect Pause
Link to purchase Alarm Clock Dawn
"“The simplest acts of kindness are by far more powerful than a thousand heads bowing in prayer." ― Mahatma Gandhi
Lending A Hand
If you are in a position to help I encourage you to donate directly, purchase a book, or seek a way to use your own platform/skillset to help your local community. A lot of people will need this kind of assistance in the coming months.
An amazing byproduct of getting this initiative started yesterday was the fact it turned my mood around a full 180 degrees. Thank you all in advance for your consideration and generosity!
Things I’m Grateful For
I’m going to end this, and every future Pandemic Diary entry with a list of things I’m grateful for.
- Charity;
- Compassion;
- The Scrabble Go app (my wife and I are becoming addicted); and
- Cryptocurrency.
I wish you all a wonderful weekend!
With Gratitude,
Eric Vance Walton
*I am an American novelist, poet, traveler, and crypto-enthusiast. If you’ve enjoyed my work please sign up for my author newsletter at my website. Newsletter subscribers will receive exclusive updates and special offers and your information will never be sold or shared.
Alarm Clock Dawn, one of the first full length novels published on the blockchain, and the book that started it all for me can be found HERE. Or Click Here to read it for free on the blockchain
My book on meditation, The Perfect Pause, is priced at $12.99 (paperback) and $4.99 (eBook). Buy the paperback and receive the eBook for free!