For those of you who’ve been following my blog for a while you might remember my “Must Streams of 2020” series. I’ve found a wonderful recommendation but didn’t want to have to wait to do an entire post about it.

Our Rich Journey features financial advice from an ingenious couple who retired with millions of dollars before the age of forty. They became expats a little over a year ago and now live in Portugal (first Lisbon, now the Silver Coast). I’ve been binge watching their channel and I’ve learned something new with each episode.

This channel is for anyone looking to retire early, get the most bang for their buck, and/or flee the US to live somewhere with a higher quality of life. For those of you who haven’t heard, Portugal is currently one of the most crypto-friendly countries on Earth (wink, wink).

This series will be especially useful for those Americans dreaming about becoming expats if this next Presidential election doesn’t go their way or are just plain tired of working hard and not having much to show for it. Our Rich Journey teaches good financial habits and skills that would take decades of experience to learn on your own.

Decisions, Decisions

My 1959 Raleigh Sports has been my constant companion for the past eight years. I’ve spent hundreds of hours on the renovation of this old bike and ridden it thousands of miles since 2012. However, when I was in Montreal last year I rented an eBike and the adrenaline junkie inside of me was instantly smitten.

It was the most fun I've had in a long time on two wheels. My friend Juan (@luckyfellow) and I covered a huge amount of ground on the eBikes while on vacation, making it all the way from Old Port to the Jean Talon Market and exploring many of the surrounding neighborhoods in the process. We got to see much more of Montreal than we otherwise would have.

I’ve been saving for the last year and have nearly met my goal. After doing lots of research over the past few months I’ve discovered there’s really no clear winner out there on the market in my price range ($1,500-$2,500). I’ve narrowed the list down to the following three choices:

The Van Moof S3. This one isn’t the fastest (20 mph) nor does it have a spectacular range (up to 40 Miles per charge) but it’s loaded with tech and has really beautiful, timeless design. The Dutch know how to build a bike. One con is the battery isn’t detachable. The other con is the price, $2,200.;

The Aventon Level. This is a super strong contender at around $1,500. This wins hands down when it comes to speed and range. Top speed of 28 mph and a max range of up to 40 miles per charge. If I was choosing on specs alone this would be a no-brainer. However, according to reviews the build quality isn’t anywhere near the Van Moof S3 and the Level doesn’t have a headlight or tail light; and

The Super73-s1. It’s priced between the S3 and the Level at around $1,800 and isn’t really much of a bicycle at all in the traditional sense, it’s more of an electric mini bike. The range is 20-50 miles and the top speed is 20 mph. My inner ten year old tells me this is the coolest looking of the three. It’s my last choice because I know I’d be tempted to just use the throttle, jump homemade plywood ramps, and not pedal. When you're nearly fifty years old you learn to selectively listen to your inner ten year old.

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Portrait Mode

I’ve been playing around with the new portrait mode (not really new but new to me since I didn't have it on my iPhone 8) on the iPhone SE and am extremely impressed by it. The photographs really do look like they were taken by a professional in a studio. The video this phone takes is equally as impressive. That's my wife Raymi by the way. Yep, I'm a very lucky guy. : ) After a few weeks I’m very happy with the decision to buy the iPhone SE 2020 (and the wife.)

Mindful Moments: Perfecting The Pause - Book Update

Beta Reading
Many, many thanks to those who’ve taken the time to offer feedback! All of your suggestions have been reviewed and considered this week and a lot of them have been integrated into the manuscript. This was a huge help.

Illustrations
Ophelia is steadily delivering more illustrations every few days and I couldn’t be happier with them. She should be wrapping them all up within the next two weeks.

Here's another sneak peek just for my Hive readers:

Next Steps
This next week I’ll be making final revisions to the meditation section of each chapter, making each one unique.

I’m also brainstorming on alternative subtitles. Although I really like Perfecting The Pause because it ties this book to The Perfect Pause, I feel like the subtitle should convey more information about the book itself.

Here are the contenders so far:

A) Mindful Moments: Perfecting The Pause;
B) Mindful Moments: Learning To Thrive In Imperfect Times;
C) Mindful Moments: Living Your Best Life In Uncertain Times;
D) Mindful Moments: Learning To Thrive Amidst The F* ckery Of Life; and
E) Mindful Moments: Thrive Amidst Life’s F* ckery.

Which do you like best? A, B, C, D, or E?

Do you have another suggestion?

I'm getting so excited to share this book with the world!

That’s all for now. Enjoy your weekend everyone!

With Gratitude,

Eric Vance Walton

(Gifs sourced from Giphy.com. All photos are original. Illustration by Ophelia Fu.)

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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 Steemit 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!

Let’s Keep In Touch

www.ericvancewalton.net