Kaua‘i is rejoining the Safe Travels program today. Rumors of sold-out rental cars and flights to Kaua‘i are creating a mixture of relief and anxiety.
Relief for people with businesses, those who are unemployed and those who are trying to make a comeback. For some of us, this will be the defining moment that determines if we have the privilege to call Kaua‘i home or be priced out of buying a place in our name. Many of us will be back to work and be able to afford basic needs such as food and shelter.
This relief can’t come soon enough, as many local small businesses have closed and local families are stuck in a hard place.
We can all feel the anxiousness building up — the increase in traffic, the effects on our local resources, or an increase in COVID cases; it’s palpable. One thing I hope we take away from all of this is that everyone had to change something about their life. No one could remain status quo.
Whether it was a job, education, relationship or health, we all had to grow or change in order to survive. So as we slowly open our home to visitors, we have to remember that we all can grow and change for the better.
Regardless of how hard it can get or how crazy it might seem, there are pockets of opportunity that are always in our reach. It’s not the strongest or the smartest who survive, it’s those with adaptability. With that said, here are my personal and professional takeaways of our current pandemic, and some things I hope we keep working towards as a community:
Health is the highest priority for every individual
We are able to work together to help one another towards better health. We learned that chronic-health issues intensify the difficult decisions we have to make, and that the majority of chronic-health issues are due to life choices. We all are able to sacrifice parts of our way of life to keep someone safe.
Everything can change, nothing has to
stay the same
Things and ideas we thought were untouchable are malleable, after all. Let’s keep coming together as a community and working together to make things better for us all.
The way we do business on Kaua‘i is not sustainable
Having the highest unemployment rate in the nation, two times higher than the national average, revealed that we all have to change the way we do business. Implementing new business strategies from small to big businesses is the highest priority.
The way we care for the earth is not sustainable
We witnessed our oceans, forests and wildlife take some time to rebuild and regenerate. This highlights a need to prioritize sustainable practices to care for all life on earth.
Aloha.
•••
Dr. Addison Bulosan is a business owner and resident of Lihu‘e.
Spoken like a wannabe politician. Lots of words and no real policy suggestions. Lots of platitudes and no real solutions. Talk of change but no real change ideas presented.
Mr. Bulosan- I suggest that you keep your guest opinions to yourself until you have had time to really think them out and make concrete plans, proposals and recommendations.
Until you do, I must consider you to be yet another hot-winder, trying to impress us with all your oversized campaign signs and “public appearances”. Get to work and show us what you are made of.
Thanks for your comment. Why don’t you use your energy spent commenting on what I’m doing and join me in the front lines with the people who are working on these issues right now? This was a message of hope and an encouragement to keep going.
I serve on the Hale opio board, Hawai’i Foodbank board, Kaua’i chamber board, Kaua’i food hub board, Kaua’i Animal Education Center, Lihue business Association, Rice street business association, Hanalei business association, and Kamawaelualani nonprofit. Come join me in any one of those meetings or workdays. Or better yet, if you are working on something for our community, I’ll come work with you. Call or text me at 808-652-1442.
With all due respect Mr. Bulosan, your reply to my comment misses the mark. Your activity resume is reminiscent of an ambitious high-schooler who participates in as many clubs as possible to see how many yearbook photos they can appear in and then runs for student council president the next year.
If you are, like me, working full time, I suggest that you limit your extra-curricular activities to one or two causes instead of nine.
And thanks for your offer of helping out on the work we are doing for our community, but we can only consider experienced participants willing to provide us with a full day each week.
Who is ‘we’, pray tell?
Kauaiboy – thanks for your suggestion.
Thanks for your comments – the ignorance can be remedied with a quick google search.
I’m glad you have full time work and able to volunteer a full day to our community. Thank you for your service!
I wish you and your family well. If you need help with anything, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Aloha!
A very good message in this Easter season. We need to remember what we have learned is really important as the world comes back to Kauai. I for one hope to remember to slow my role and really appreciate where I am so lucky to live.
Mr. Addison Bulosan, I have seen first hand the ways you SHOW UP and HELP the community. It’s unfortunate that some people want to unfairly criticize those who are putting their time, energy, and resources out there to actually do something about the problems we face as a community. Just know that many of these “trolls” don’t do even a fraction of the work you do so to me, their opinion is invalid. Mahalo for the inspirational message and please keep doing the work you’re doing.