Chasing Demons in Grand Cayman

Chasing Demons in Grand Cayman

Dudley, the owner of the small waterfront place I stay, hands me the jacket I left there last year. He tells me “the Canadians are staying below you.” Mr. Canadian was so loud he immediately disturbed the tranquility I travel to Grand Cayman for.

My yoga training has taught me to find compassion for whatever demons in Mr. Canadian's life, whatever experiences he's had that caused him to be so obnoxious and create his need to constantly be the center of attention.

He still irritates me. I am far from an accomplished Yogi.

I plug in the ear bugs and send a silent thank you to my neighbor for loaning me her audiotape of an Irish Harry Potter knock off. Its a series about a skeleton detective and his teenage girl sidekick as she learns magic to slay demons.

I go for a long walk on 7 mile beach. A sign advertises a new 60 unit condo building with pre-construction pricing staring at $2.7 million. Though the market here is weak, there is some activity. Further down the beach I walk through a $3 million model in a 9 unit beach front building that shows signs of some sales. And there is scattered single family construction around the island.

I lose track of time and distance walking miles on the beach and cut to the street to catch a bus back to my apartment. Buses in Grand Cayman are actually privately owned vans whose owners lease a route from the Government. As I climb on the bus I'm greeted by a “NO FARTING” sign, something I have never seen on a Maple Grove Transit Bus. I hand the driver the colored currency I found tucked away with my passport. “What's this?” he asked, as I realize the money was from Belize. The driver laughs and waves me off the bus. I've seen other drivers pull up and wait for riders to get money from an ATM.

I go to yoga class and the teacher talks of bringing our demons out of the shadow. To confront them. To ignore your demons causes “dis-ease”. That a recent study showed cancer often appears 18 months after a trauma. Locking your demons in the closet or shoving them under your bed does not make them go away. These demons cause disturbance in your life that may manifest as aches, pains, insomnia or worse. Until you pay the demons the attention they demand and take care of whatever you are ignoring. And then, with yoga and meditation, you can often regain a healthy balance and get rid of dis-ease.

Any day now you'll be receiving your 2011 Property Tax Valuation Notice for taxes payable in 2012. Do you typically just toss this notice in a drawer? Bad move. You have a small window of opportunity, typically till the first week of April 2011, to quickly slay this demon. This is a quicker and simpler process than Tax Court.

I can help you with my magic to lower your property taxes if your valuation is too high. But you need to show me your valuation notices NOW! For a free review please scan the notices as soon as you receive them and email to heresthedirt@visi.com. Or, if its just one or two, you can fax them to 763-420-9792.