If you find yourself confused about the specifics of social-distancing, please remember this meme. Excuse the crude humor but we can all use a little levity right now, can’t we?
All joking aside, some of you may remember that I started a project years ago on Steemit called #Blockchainmemoryproject (I know, lonngg tag) to record some of my most profound memories “forever” on the blockchain.
As this Coronavirus pandemic has progressed I realized how important it will be for people in the future to see a record of what this pandemic was like to live through in all its aspects -- physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. Given the news we in Minnesota got today, this seems like this is the proper time to begin.
Entry 1
Today the gravity of this pandemic is beginning to feel real. It’s true that you don’t truly know what something like this is like until you live through it on a personal level. Today it feels like we’re slowly riding up the hill of a roller coaster --- click, click click -- bracing ourselves for the wild ride just ahead.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz announced today at 2pm CST that beginning Friday he will be activating a two week, “Shelter-In-Place” order for all Minnesota residents to try to push back the inevitable peak of critical cases of COVID-19. The goal is to use this extra time to ramp up ICU capacity from 256 beds to an amount that will effectively handle the number of patients who will need intensive care and ventilators.
What this means is, starting Friday, all non-essential businesses will be shut down. Most everyone will be required to self-quarantine at home. The Governor was clear that people are encouraged to go outside to walk and exercise as long as they’re observing social-distancing practices. Thank the Lord we’re still allowed to go outside.
The Governor said that within the next nine weeks an estimated two million Minnesotans will contract this virus. That figure was higher than I expected, two million people. I suffer from asthma so I’m in a higher risk group for developing complications from this virus so my wife and I are doing what we can to stay safe. However, we don’t want to stop living either. As with all things, I think balance is the key. We're staying as active as possible and keeping in close contact with family and friends remotely. I’m also using meditation and conscious breathing as a tool to deal with any fears or anxieties that occasionally creep in. So far, it's working fabulously.
Overall, I was very impressed by our Governor’s (and his team’s) ability to come up with such an effective plan and communicate it with such grace. If only we had someone like him on a national level I think the American people would feel much more at ease in this moment.
Just like the Spanish Flu of 1918, The Great Depression, and 9/11, I think this pandemic is going to leave its mark on the psyche of every generation alive today. In some ways the world will never be the same but we'll come out on the other end of this stronger in some ways. The impact to our global economy is yet to be fully realized but will likely be substantial. Many believe we were headed for a global recession years before this. There are more questions than answers at this point. Locally, I fear that a lot of small businesses will not be able to survive. Many of them (like most of us individuals) operated on a razor-thin margin even before this crisis. In a neighborhood like ours the proprietors of these small shops are like old friends to us, they're struggling, and it's a painful thing to watch.
On A Personal Note
I worry most about those in the more vulnerable age brackets and those with compromised immune systems. My parents are both above seventy years old and I check in on them twice a day. I'm thinking about my brother and his family and all of my relatives and friends that are scattered about around the world.
I’m thankful we made it out today to buy more groceries and supplies (including a few bottles of vino) before the Governor's announcement. Mostly all of the food was still in the grocery stores but cleaning supplies of all types and toilet paper are still very hard to find. I suspect the hoarders will descend on the grocery stores in even greater numbers that before between now and Friday.
Our gym closed about a week ago so all workouts have had to be at home with the little bit of equipment we have on hand. Our at home gym consists of my Russian kettlebells, dumbbells, push-ups, and yoga videos on YouTube. I’m managing fine with this. People on social media are now tossing around the phrase The Pandemic 15, to describe the amount of weight they’re gaining while being stuck at home.
Up until now it was just minor aspects of life that were different. We had to call in our order to the local wine shop and one of the staff walked it out to the car (see below). The pictures following include some of our favorite neighborhood shops that have been closed in various capacities now for over a week.
Most restaurants have tried to survive these past few weeks on Pick-up and Delivery business alone.
We see lots of signs like these from shop owners to loyal customers.
An employee of our local wine shop, Solo Vino, delivering our last order to the car before the lock-down.
Our favorite neighborhood restaurant, shuttered, with stools on the bar until further notice.
If this 1918 Elgin survived the Spanish Flu pandemic it can weather Coronavirus just fine.
Keep your heads up and remember, one day soon we'll be on the other side of this and our lives will return to some semblance of "normal." Stay well my friends.
With Gratitude,
Eric Vance Walton
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After reading your post I realize we have been under and order like that for a couple of days now. It has been a constant fight with my parents to make them understand that I will get stuff for them if they need it. They should not be going outside. It was a little sad the other day. It was my mom's birthday and I had to yell it to her through the front window after we dropped off their groceries. My brother in law has a friend whose son just passed away and they can't even have a funeral.
We had a similar experience with our son's birthday. It was last Sunday and he was nervous about potentially exposing us to the virus so we just Facetimed with him.
I'm very sorry to hear about that family who lost a son. Did he pass from the virus or was it something unrelated? Up until today so many people on Twitter were claiming this was some kind of hoax because they didn't know anyone personally who contracted it but just today I've seen people saying friends/relatives are extremely sick and some have already died. This is the deceptive power of an illness which grows exponentially... everything seems perfectly fine until the point it isn't and then it's too late to prepare. Stay well my friend!
I am pretty sure it was a car accident. I have a friend on Discord who has been infected. I think he is on the recovery side of it thank goodness.
I'm glad to hear your friend is recovering. The symptoms and seriousness of the virus seem to be all over the board based on age and underlying conditions.
Hey Eric. You might like to check out this point of view, though who knows what's (relatively) true!
https://peakd.com/hive-102880/@atma.love/a-shocking-truth-behind-coronavirus-covid-19-a-solution-to-help-resolve-all-word-problems
Thanks @atma.love, I'll check it out. I'm open to learning about all theories about this. I hope you're faring well, wherever you are!
Ultimately, i am faring very well. The true self is always in peace.
Relatively, i feel some frustration around currently not being able to get across the message i am trying to share.
Ultimately i realise (real-eyes) that is because i am not resting in the true self, but am acting in this dream of life as if it were real, wanting to make change.
So, more being and less doing is called for. Then when i am resting in the self, any doing which arises will be effective.
Peace brother
Thanks and Peace to you as well!
Liquor stores probably don’t qualify as essential businesses (but in some states, cannabis dispensaries do, go figure) so make sure to stock up on wine.🍷
You’ve got to have priorities in these hard times. 😅
The liquor stores will be shut down, for sure. Whatever gets us through these kinds of times, I guess. 😀 Stories I've heard from others who have lived through times like we're all about to is anything that reminds them of their "normal life" is what they yearn for.