I’d like to thank @lizelle for her invitation to participate in this Letter To Me In 2019 challenge. You can find her post here.
The Letter to Me in 2019 is a challenge inspired by @livinguktaiwan. Check her original post Here for more information.
Letter to Me in 2019
Dear Me:
Before we even get into the nuts and bolts of what I’m about to tell you, burn this letter immediately after you read it. I’m not kidding. Do not, I repeat, do not tell a soul about any of this. If you do, they’ll only think you’re crazy anyway and probably will try to have you committed.
Stock up on toilet paper, lots of it. A pandemic will spread across the globe soon and even though none of the symptoms of this virus will require toilet paper people will begin hoarding it anyway. Humans are very irrational, next year will drive that point home. The shit will hit the fan in a metaphorical sense as large swaths of your city will be burned to the ground by looters. While you’re at it, buy an entire case of Lysol, it will be the official scent of 2020 so it'll be important to stock up on that too.
You’ll be subjected to a strict quarantine for the first time in your life and will be mandated to wear a mask while out in public. Weird right? A lot of what was considered "normal life" will cease. By mid-year there won’t be much else to do but read, watch Netflix, and write. Do your research and get that reading list and watchlist ready. You’ll thank me, I mean yourself, later.
Next year’s Presidential election will force you to choose between a narcissistic misogynistic con man and an elderly career politician with pretty clear signs of dementia for the highest office in the land. The way our government deals with the coming crisis will only highlight how out of touch they are with the realities of the average American citizen. Many will lose their jobs and our elected representatives will argue for months over offering a $600 payment or a $2,000 payment, neither of which will come close to being enough to prevent financial disaster for many. Again, not kidding (wish I was). By the end of 2020 each of your suspicions about how disconnected the government is from the will and needs of the citizens it is supposed to serve will be confirmed. Don't allow yourself to be consumed by cynicism and hate because if you do, those whose aim to incite hate and division will win.
Ask yourself now, What are all your favorite restaurants? Make plans now to eat your favorite meals at those restaurants like it will be the last time you’ll get to...it might well be. Many of those restaurants will be closed in a year because there was no safety net in place to help keep them open despite the fact that the government mandated them to close.
You'll soon realize lots of little things you took for granted. Make as many plans to meet with your friends as you can this summer. Hug them. Pack your calendar full even though it might feel like you’re too busy. Commit each of those experiences, conversations, laughs, every minute of those fun times to memory. You’ll be happy you did and the memories will serve you well in the future.
Call your Dad. I mean every single freaking day. Some days those conversations will be tough. Be patient with him. He’ll repeat stories he’s told a thousand times but every so often he’ll tell you one you haven’t heard before. He’s going to have an increasingly hard time following because of Alzheimer’s and some days he won’t want to talk but try as hard as you can. Take lots of pictures together when you visit for his 80th birthday. Remember his laugh and the smell of his cologne and his chewing tobacco. Tell him how much he means to you.
Steemit will be purchased and will become a shadow of what it once was. Relax, a new platform will be created as a result of a hardfork that will allow you to stay connected with most everyone you’ve met. You’ll decide to make a series of blog posts you write on this new platform next year into a book. Believe it or not it’ll be one of the most rewarding things you’ve done to date. This project will be a large part of why you get through 2020 unscathed, don’t let anything deter you from getting this done.
I know it doesn’t feel like it but this crypto bear market will eventually come to an end and you’ll see glimmers of the 2017 euphoria you remember so well. Remember these three coins...BTC, Nano, and Zil. Load up on them. Stack those sats.
Nothing I can say will prepare you for what you're about to face. You'll shed some tears, you'll be forced to dig deep into your creativity. Be strong and remember every single experience you’ve been through in your life has readied you for what you’re about to endure. Try your best to help others as often as you can. Don’t worry you’ll get through to the other side, but you’ll be a slightly different person with a few more gray hairs and wrinkles. Love those around you and, most importantly, love yourself. Now burn this damn letter and get busy writing that book!
With Gratitude,
Eric
This has been my Letter to Me in 2019. I'm going to tag a few of my friends so you can create your very own Letter to Me in 2019. Tag some of your friends and use the #mein2019 tag.
@luckyfellow @nancybriti @bozz @jlufer @preparedwombat @michelle.gent @gringalicious @tripode
(Gif sourced from Giphy.com)
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Let’s Keep In Touch
Oh, thank you so much for the invitation, Eric. I will try to write it down. I read your letter and I'm very afraid of 2020, but it also tells me that I should be aware not only of myself, but of everything around me. 2020 will be a year in which we will miss a lot what is out there. In fact, breathing will be different. I read you and so much has happened, so much has been postponed, my friend. The year when God said: let's take some time. You are undoubtedly one of the beautiful people I remember fondly this year. I hug you and happy year in case we don't meet here tomorrow
You're welcome! I hope you get a chance to write one too, it was very cleansing in a way. You're right, 2020 truly was the year that everyone's hopes and dreams were put on hold and not all of it was bad. So many people used the pause in a positive way, to get healthier, to realign their goals and values. I do think that we'll start to recover little by little as we move into 2021 but it will be a long recovery. Happy New Year to you and thanks for being part of my journey in 2020 take care of yourself and we'll see you back here next year!
Wonderful letter, @ericvancewalton. It made me feel really emotional, especially reading about your dad. What a tough tough year to have an elderly parent. I haven't read your past blogs, but I can only imagine what you've been through, and that you haven't been able to see him due to risks to his health.
Congrats on finishing your book. I wish I had written in my letter: take the coming year to write a book. It's probably the only time in your life it will truly make sense to shut out the world to do so. Then I wish I had a time machine and could go back and read it. Ha ha.
Thank you @jayna! It certainly has been a tough one. My father had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's a few years ago and was declining significantly from a cognitive perspective, then caught Covid while in a rehab facility after a car accident.
Thanks for the kind words about the book! This was my ninth but I'd never had a chance to dedicate that much time to a project and it was wonderful to be able to do that. Thanks for your comment! Where in MN are you? We live in the Twin Cities.
So sorry to hear about your dad's situation, @ericvancewalton. That must have been terrible.
Ah, so you're also in the Twin Cities. I'm in the western suburbs of Minneapolis. How about you?
There have been many times in my life where I've wished I had that chance to write a letter to my "past" self.
Fortunately for me, 2020 wasn't one of them. I was in Australia when the fires were burning, I was in Italy when the world started to close down. In both cases, we needed to change our approach, but it was a life experience!!!
But, let's hope that 2021 is a lot less unpredictable than 2020 was!!
All the best to you and your family!!
Oh, me too @gikitiki! Just think how valuable that would be. So sorry to hear about your year, 2020 was the toughest one I've lived through as well. I do believe 2021 will be better. The energy already seems more positive even though not much has improved yet. Thank you and all the best to you and yours! I'm hoping we see some growth here on Hive this year.
Hello dear friend @ericvancewalton good evening
I love how you prepare your self in 2019 to face one of the worst situations that we have to live this year.
I really appreciate the invitation, you are very kind, but a few days ago I wrote my letter to me 2019.
I take this opportunity to wish you a wonderful night and happy dreams
Thank you @jlufer! I'm so sorry I missed your letter. I'll go back and give it a read. Have a great evening and a peaceful slumber!
Woke up to no electricity at 4am and I'm still awake! We're back to loadshedding now in the midst of a pandemic so I'm thinking, what about those folk who are on oxygen at home! In hospital it's fine as they have generators.
What a touching and very apt description of 2020!
Your letter brought tears to my eyes Eric, what a year it's been!
Heard last night about my neighbour's best friend who died of Covid after only having it one and a half weeks aged 53, she was actually improving and suddenly a setback. Just so very sad! They think it's possibly this new variant that's brought about a new lockdown with strict curfews.
One of my best friends' sister is in a coma with it, her organs shutting down so it doesn't look like she's going to make it, she's only 59.
I honestly did not think we'd get to this!
Good that you managed to get your book published at a time like this and turned it into a positive!
Thank you for responding to this challenge Eric, wishing you and your wife a very good 2021!
I'm sorry to hear of your power outages! That happens to us when we're in St. Thomas almost on a daily basis. Hopefully those people on oxygen have battery back-ups. Here in the States I think it's a requirement if they rely on the supplement O2 for their survival.
Oh no! I'm so sorry to hear about your friends who you've lost and are still are suffering. It's such a mysterious virus, how it can be so severe with some of those outside of the high-risk groups. More than anything I'd love to know the truth about why it was created in that Wuhan lab. During the ordeal with my father we witnessed some truly appalling things going on in the long term care facilities that didn't make one bit of sense.
Not only were the patients' conditions not being attended to but not even their basic survival needs. When my Dad was transferred to the hospital they surmised he hadn't received fluids of any kind for about two days he couldn't have been getting nutrition either because he had been given no IV and no feeding tube. The Governor had issued a blanket immunity to these nursing homes and long term care facilities that absolved them of any legal repercussions. I feel that there's so much more to the story. This will continue to haunt me but I know the larger truth may never come out. All we can do is look ahead and move forward at this point.
Thank you again for the invitation, this was very cleansing. Wishing you and yours a healthy a prosperous 2021!
Repeat after me: BTC BUY SAVE BTC BUY SAVE BTC BUY SAVE
hahahaha wooow, i loved this initiative, i´ll see if can join!! I have A LOT to say to myself. And i also loved your post, was so funny, direct, and emotional at the same time. I never tire of saying that you are a wonderful writer.
Ahh and thank you for the mention, it´s an honor for me!
Forever your fan,
Tripode.
BUY SAVE BUY SAVE BUY SAVE. Yes! A winning formula.
It'd be great to read yours as well! I highly encourage it because it feels as though you're unloading some of the burden of 2020 while you're writing it.
Thanks so much for the kind words and for all of your support during this year. I can't wait to hear about your experience with the book as you dig in deeper.
Happy New Year!
hahahahahahahahaha Thank you so much! Sounds great for letting off steam, I will definitely join. And happy New Year for you too!!
Well said my friend!!!!
Thank you Juan! You should try one yourself!
Damn, I love this,
Well done :)
Thanks @stayten!
You're most welcome :)
How I wish it's known things would be like these, we would have get set and prepared for it.
Yes, some forewarning would have been incredibly helpful!
See my own entry Letter to me in 2019
Yes, some forewarning would have been incredibly helpful!
If anyone told me about all this in 2019 I'd think they're either nuts or writing their latest novel. Thanks for sharing your letter and hope your dad is well!
All the best for the new year!
That's the God's honest truth. It's just like living through some dystopian novel. Thanks for creating the initiative, it's been my favorite one of 2020 on Hive! Unfortunately my Dad passed from Covid in early November just before his 81st birthday.
Happy New Year to you, so glad to have met you!
oh no!!! I'm so sorry to hear about your dad 😔
Covid is so brutal and lashes indiscriminately at everyone, I hope you were able to see him before he passed away. In UK, many were unable to see their family members for the last time and could only witness the medics holding their loved ones hands via video. It was so heartbreaking to hear of those stories. I'm sure your dad is at a much happier place now, free of the Alzheimer's misery.
All the best for 2021!
Thank you! We were able to see him through a window and do a Zoom call with him. I do feel better that he's no longer suffering but miss him very much.
All the best to you!