Coming Back To Cayman – May, 2020
To all who love the Cayman Islands:
Like your heart, mine is weary. The Coronavirus-19 pandemic has changed just about every part of my daily life. Shopping for groceries. Meeting friends for coffee. Going to a job that I love. Knowing what my paycheck will be. Going to church on Sundays. Masks. Gloves. Hand sanitizer. Take-out from restaurants. Meals at home. Jobs have been lost, furloughed, or postponed. First-responders both work and worry overtime. Friends can’t visit loved ones in nursing homes. Life has been shockingly different lately.
In spite of the uncertainty, I remain hopeful because meaningful things never change. Strong friendships find new ways to maintain connections. Families re-discover the joy of meals at home and of sitting around putting together puzzles. People write notes to each other—real notes that require a stamp and a couple of days for delivery! And beauty continues to speak to our weary hearts and to comfort us during this time of confusion.
Because you have visited the Cayman Islands, you understand the power of beauty. You’ve seen stunning sunsets from Seven Mile Beach. You’ve laughed with joy after kissing a stingray. You’ve chartered a boat to fish and to lounge in the sun. You divers know that the phrase “awe-inspiring and indescribable” is not a cliché at all when you consider the amazing moments you have experienced in the waters of Cayman! Back on land, the Wild Banana Orchid at Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park has delighted you with its lovely purple lips. Without a doubt, you have eaten meals that were as attractive as they were delicious. You’ve truly been to Hell, you bought the t-shirt, and you wore it with pride back home!
Having known such beauty, many of you are now experiencing disappointment as dream vacations were cancelled. How well I understand your feelings! A group of six of us had to postpone our plans, too. Again, my heart is weary like yours. I am forever grateful for each wonderful moment that I have had in Cayman, but the truth is that I need some direction. I need encouragement. And, above all, I need to extend guidance, joy, and encouragement to others because that comforts my heart like nothing else can!
So what if we band together with a plan that will both strengthen our hearts and encourage our Cayman friends? What if a simple monthly newsletter can give you some guidance as you re-work the plans for your next trip to the beautiful Cayman Islands? What if disappointment can be diminished when we realize that we are not alone? It’s time for a newsletter such as this! Let’s go ahead and shout it: WE ARE COMING BACK TO CAYMAN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! We are coming back to experience the unique beauty of the Cayman Islands on land, on the water, underwater, and in the air! We are coming back to ooh and ahh over meals that feed our bodies and our souls. We are coming back for the simple joy of a sunset. We are coming back for the wow factor of seeing an endangered Blue Iguana in its native environment. 
We are coming back for the smiles and the hugs and the laughs of those folks who are like family to us. We are coming back to Cayman!
The monthly newsletter will provide you with both practical suggestions and positive thoughts. As you know, I’m not a travel agent! I’m just someone who loves Cayman, who has connections with folks who live and work at Grand Cayman, and who enjoys sharing positive thoughts and ideas!
Practical Suggestions:
We don’t yet know when Cayman will open, but it will! I see many posts containing information, but it isn’t easy to quickly know how timely the information is. I like to have a few websites that give updates. Here are a few that frequently provide updated information:
Cayman Islands Airport Authority— Press Releases are listed on this page, so you will want to look for the most recent information.
An overview of COVID-19 in the Cayman Islands is given within the site of the Cayman Islands Government.
As of April 30, 2020, updates are provided on the home page of the government’s website.
A great suggestion for life, with or without a pandemic, is to seek information directly from a trusted source. Right now, rumors abound, and they can generate unnecessary stress during an already stressful time! And sometimes one person’s truth simply isn’t the same truth that will come our way. So focus on the facts as they relate to your plans, and hope for a positive solution.
Positive Thoughts:
Take a break from your day and treat yourself to a few moments of your favorite memories from Cayman. Meals and beverages. Sand and sea. Rum tastings and snacks. And people. My favorite souvenirs are the memories made with the people of Cayman. The dives here are amazing, but the dive operators encourage us and delight in our successes. Meals are beyond delicious, but the restaurant staff members welcome us, chat with us, and create an experience filled with warm hospitality. I could give dozens of 
examples, but what is your favorite memory from Cayman? Which restaurant do you long to enter right now? Who has the laughter that you want to hear? The smile that you need to see? Enjoy these memories. Share these memories. Expect more of these memories.
Caymankind touches our lives in so many ways when we visit Cayman. How might we extend Caymankind to the very ones who welcomed us 
to their lovely island home? Think of your happy place at Cayman. Can you reach out to them? Do you follow them on social media? Do you have photos that you can share on social media? Think of ways that you can encourage them even as you are not able to be there with them. Send a message. Comment on their Facebook pages. We never know when our simple and brief comment can offer a brightness to someone’s dark moments. Only you can be the Caymankind that someone needs today!
And then let’s all consider taking another step towards supporting our Cayman favorites. How might we extend financial support to them during this difficult time? Cayman businesses rely on tourism, and they are hurting these days. I could research ideas and share a list with you, but the truth is that my ideas might distract you from your best way to support your favorites. We all know that details change quickly, so the best thing is to contact our favorites and to ask how we can help. Can we buy gift certificates or gift cards now that we can 
use later? We’d like to book tours, to charter boats, and to reserve dives even though we can’t get to Cayman right now! We want to donate money directly to them if they have a gofundme page or another secure method that we can use to support them financially. When possible, we want to purchase items from their online shops. We want to purchase annual membership passes to museums, parks—wherever! We want to 
help! Each member of the Passenger Picks writing team has certain businesses in mind. You do, too. So here is your opportunity to “pay it forward”, to make a meaningful difference in the present and in the future of Cayman. Keep in mind, 
too, that they might not respond immediately to your requests simply because they are facing major decisions each day. But keep reaching. Keep encouraging. Keep supporting.
This pandemic is hard on each person, on each small business, on each major corporation. A friend speaks of this phrase used during a
yoga class that she takes: “Remember to breathe.” This is good advice as we are all learning new ways to stretch. 
I look forward to sharing additional practical suggestions and positive thoughts with you in the June edition of Coming Back to Cayman. My writing team and I are gathering ideas for future newsletter topics, but I’d love to hear from you! Do you have topic suggestions for this newsletter? Send me an email that completes this statement: “I am Coming Back to Cayman for. . .” Your positive thoughts might become part of a newsletter! If I share your comments, I will list only your first name for the sake of your privacy.
Be safe! Remember to breathe, and share your CaymanKind wherever you are!
Passenger Picks