Have you met the Gulf Coast?
Have you seen her inviting white beaches?
Her teal waters?
The Gulf Coast is my beach of reference. I’ve come as a child, delighting in post-thunderstorm waves crashing around me. I’ve come as a teenager, too cool to actually enter the water, worrying about tans, boys, and beverages. I’ve come as a young adult—eager to relax and leave my so-called stresses behind. Now I come as a parent, introducing my own child to the waves and the excitement of finding the perfect sea shell.
This trip is colored with worry, though. I worry that the oil in the Gulf will ruin things, cut short the cycle of sharing this place with future generations. I worry that Charlie won’t remember this trip to see the beautiful beaches. I worry that this place will never be the same. 
I hope I’m wrong.
But I ’m not sure.
