Well That Escalated Quickly

Hey Friends,

I know that I just blogged a few days ago, but I've got plenty of time and suspect, given the steady increase in "get to know me better" Facebook survey posts,  that you might have some free time as well ...so why not provide a little update, given that EVERYTHING has changed here on our island in the last few days!

As more cases of Covid-19 have been discovered in Cayman over the past 5 days, our government has been tightening the reigns by the hour. On Monday, an island-wide curfew was instilled. We were told that we were not allowed to leave our house between 9pm and 5am. On Tuesday that curfew was extended from 7pm to 6am.  We were also told that all non-essential services would be shutting down immediately. Yesterday we were put into a 24 hour curfew lasting until Saturday. This means that we cannot leave our house until this curfew is lifted on Saturday morning...or until they tell us what the next plan of action is. There is a steep punishment for disobeying the law - a $3000 CI fine and/or one year imprisonment. The police have already arrested one person for breaking curfew.

With changes that affect your day-to-day being implemented by the hour, your mind races and your emotions go into overdrive, as you attempt to process the new information and accept the loss of control over your daily life. On Monday, for example, when we were told about the 9pm curfew, I laughed nervously as I said to Ev, "Good thing we go to bed at 8:30!" On Tuesday when the curfew was extended and non-essential services were shut down, I found myself panic shopping at the liquor store, wondering what the hell Benedictine is and whether or not I might actually need it for a cocktail. Yesterday when we were informed about the impending 24 hour lockdown, I raced to the beach for one last beach walk and swim in those incredible turquoise waters. I went to the spot where Monty's ashes were spread and had a little chat with him. Personally, I think that Monty would have thrived during this lockdown, as he often put himself into isolation when he felt socially overwhelmed, watching old movies and perfecting his Gumbo for days. Wherever he is, I imagine that although he is concerned about family and friends, he probably finds it amusing that we are losing our shit over being temporarily stuck inside!

Whoa that pedicure is rough man, and it's only gonna get worse.

Where is everyone? Oh, they are standing in the 2-hour line at Fosters trying to buy toilet paper. 

At the risk of sparking a political debate (trust me, that is not my intent and is not in the forefront of my mind these days!), I will say this...I fully support our government's decision to act radically in this situation. We are currently at 8 cases and although these measures are extreme, I feel as though we are ahead of most countries in terms of acting swiftly, boldly,  and putting the health of our country first.

Our Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Lee, was my Pain Specialist for the first 4 years that we lived in Cayman. He was one of the best Doctors that I have ever had the opportunity to work with (and I have seen MANY doctors!). Dr. Lee worked methodically and patiently to wean me off of Opioids. He never sugar-coated the situation, he prepared me for what to expect, and he was always anticipating the next plan of action. Dr. Lee rarely responded impulsively when I asked questions. Rather, he pulled down books from his library and spent much time searching online to provide me with his most educated and comprehensive answer. During one of our last appointments together, he calmly commended me on persevering through the process, and explained that he was retiring. He couldn't wait to spend more time with his dog and enjoy island life without the intense working hours. Shortly after his retirement I heard that he agreed to take on the Chief Medical Officer position. I see him tirelessly and steadily explaining and answering Covid-19 questions in multiple press conferences a day, and although I feel sorry that he is not presently enjoying his retirement, I am incredibly grateful that he's our leader through this unprecedented event.

So with that being said, today is our first day in full 24-hour lockdown. We are allowed to take our dogs for walks around our complex, but we are banned from being on the road or anywhere in our neighbourhood. Police helicopters regularly fly overhead, patrolling our country for curfew-breakers. This morning when Dundee and I had finished our short loop around the complex, Dundee suddenly sat down on the grass and stared out into the distance. The usual sounds - car motors, laughter, planes flying overhead - were gone. I think that even Dundee noticed as he swivelled his head left, then right, then left again and sniffed the air. Is he wondering what the hell is going on ("What did those humans do now?") or is he simply noticing that time appears to have come to a standstill, and he has the luxury of enjoying another peaceful day with his favourite people?

Hang in there friends. Stay safe. Stay sane.

Hey there! I know things have been ruff, but we are feline fine!

Stranded on an island with Wilson

Whoa! The shit has hit the fan - to put it mildly! I know that everyone in the world is experiencing chaos and uncertainty right now. Our little island is also reeling from the Coronavirus, and in addition to that we have experienced a series of events since January, including the 7.7 earthquake and a massive fire at our dump that caused road and school closures about a week before the virus began impacting us. It's been one thing after the other here, and at the risk of speaking on behalf of everyone on island, we all wish we could restart 2020. If 2020 was a Nintendo game, I would pull out the cartridge, vigorously blow on it, and start this sucker over.

So here's the situation in Cayman: We currently have 3 confirmed cases on Grand Cayman - no confirmed cases thus far on Cayman Brac or Little Cayman. Our first positive case occurred a week ago. Apparently a man was having heart issues on a cruise ship and was transported to one of our three hospitals where he received cardiac treatment. He then began exhibiting respiratory issues, tested positive for Covid-19, and unfortunately passed away. The hospital in which he was treated immediately shut its doors to new admissions. The other confirmed cases were health care workers who directly treated the patient. As soon as we had 1 confirmed case, our government acted quickly. They shut down the schools that day, cancelled all cruise ships that were scheduled in port, and made a plan to close our airport, restaurants, and bars. The last flight will arrive on island this Sunday, and the passengers on this flight will mostly consist of students who are residents of Cayman but receiving education abroad. Arrangements have been made  for the new arrivals to self-isolate in the hotels, which will be empty of tourists by Sunday. It is so imperative that these people self-isolate for 14 days in order to flatten the curve, as they say. I hope hope hope that they take it very seriously.

That's what's going on here. Our tourism industry is in a free-fall, and many service workers have left the island before the airport closure. It's scary as shit and like everyone else in the world, there are many people worried about how they are going to feed their families and keep a roof over their head during this time. I have been very impressed with our government's response. It is apparent that the health of the island is the priority and although temporarily (hopefully) devastating to our tourism industry, cancelling flights and shutting this island down is, in my opinion, the only way to slow this thing down. I also feel secure in knowing that many of my students who depend on school lunches and food vouchers will be supported by the government during the school closure.

How am I feeling about all of this? I am probably feeling the same as you. For once, we (everyone in the world) is kind of in the same boat, hey?  I feel anxious, scared, confused, uncertain, lonely. I worry about my family and friends back home. There is something eery and unsettling about being stranded on an island, with really no way out. When I was a kid I watched Gilligan's Island reruns, and longed to be stranded on island with coconut phones and palm frond hammocks. Nowhere in my fantasy was social distancing and a horrible respiratory virus! (Although surely Professor would have combatted this quickly😉). On the flip side, if we can contain the virus, then being stranded on an island in the middle of nowhere might certainly be the best place to be during all of this. I dunno. It's strange to see our beaches, typically packed with tourists, desolate and quiet. On the other hand, it's peaceful and serene.

Wilson washed up on shore! Even though he's "set" in his ways, and always "spikes" the drinks that he "serves" me, I really "dig" him. 

I am lucky enough to be able to work from home, so I have begun creating video lessons for my students. When I was a kid, I used to pretend that I was the host of a children's show called "Crafts R Us" (Read: ONLY CHILD 😂). I used to demonstrate how to make crafts out of objects found in the home. So here I am, age 40, essentially hosting my own TV shows! It's basically a dream come true! Disclosure: My first 7-minute video took me 4 hours!!! There were tears, people. Good God. But oh man, I sure don't know how people with children are able to get anything accomplished at home. Mad respect to you! And deep respect to our health care workers. I worked in the hospital setting during H1N1 and I can't even imagine how difficult and stressful this is for our front line workers.

No live audience today due to social distancing.

Notice how everyone has a opinion right now? Sooo many opinions! I am not an expert at navigating a pandemic, I do not have a medical degree, and I sure as hell don't have any words of wisdom regarding managing your finances during tough times! (Um...ya budgets are not my thing 🙅).

But...here's what I'm doing to stay sane:

1) I am only "tuning in" to pandemic news, posts, etc twice a day - I check once in the morning, and once around 5pm. After 5pm, I refuse to watch news programs, read Facebook posts, or listen to someone's opinion about coronavirus. All this news is overwhelming, increases my anxiety, and affects my sleep. We all know that quality sleep is an important factor in increasing immunity.

2) I am attempting to stick to a schedule.  I have scheduled work time into my day, as well as frequent breaks where I try to move as much as possible. I lay my yoga mat on the floor first thing, and when I feel overwhelmed by work, news, etc, I go to 6 minute abs, a push-up ladder, or hold a yoga pose. I also schedule in a 30-minute comedy sitcom here and there (thank goodness for "Friends" reruns).

Home gym. Dundee is my water boy.

3) I am getting fresh air. Given that we are lucky enough to be stranded on a tropical island, we may as well take advantage of this incredible climate. I take Dundee for regular walks, go to a quick pool workout, and take walks on the beach. Now that our beaches are pretty much deserted, it feels very safe to walk along the beach, knowing I will not be in contact with anyone.

4) I am trying to laugh. Yes, I agree that we need to take this seriously. But do I enjoy a good meme every once in a while? Of course! I am acting responsibly, but I am still allowing myself to feel joy, chuckling at the stupid jokes on Facebook or indulging in a good "autocorrect fails" post. It also feels good to connect with family and friends on Whatsapp and use humour to defuse tense situations.

5) I am focusing on the population who is really benefitting during all of this. Who, you ask, could possibly be "winning" during such uncertain and frightening times? The pets, of course. My little white dog, Dundee, and my old senile cat have never received so much attention! They are thriving! Biloxi has even started hiding away in the bath tub to avoid the daily songs that I compose and sing to my furry friends.  There is a conspiracy theory going around that the pets orchestrated all of this, and as Dundee happily takes his 5th walk in a 2-hour period, I can't help but think this might be the one true conspiracy theory out there.

living his best life. 

He's not so keen on Wilson

In all seriousness, take care everyone. Do the right thing. Don't put others at risk. Keep yourself healthy, and remember that your mental health affects your physical health and vice versa.

Cheers to Flo Rida for writing and singing, "My House," the current soundtrack of our lives.

"Sometimes you gotta stay in...in"