Director's Note: In December, Let’s celebrate the coast.

Man, do we need something to celebrate.

No one wants to read a recitation of the challenges we have faced during the past year as Americans and people who care about the coast, much less those burdens unique to our own lives and paths.

So, as we head into the shortest days of the year, which will bring to many the cold winds of winter, lets focus on celebration.
​
Let’s celebrate the coast. Let’s celebrate the salt life. 

---

If you are a Littoral Society member, I am convinced we share a particular gene which ties us to the coast. That’s why I get fidgety more than 50 miles from water with some degree of salt in it. I know I’m not the only one – I’ve met you!

The coast and ocean – in all their elements, moods and varieties – can literally move us, drawing us back to the water even when circumstance or obligation has taken us far away.

The smell of briny air, the feel of sand beneath your feet, the sound of waves sparks, continually, what Rachel Carson described as a sense of wonder. That is something to be celebrated, especially in hard times.

So, as this year fades, take a socially distanced, appropriately masked moment as close as you can get to the coast or something which evokes the coast for you. Spend time thinking of the discoveries, the surprises, the beauty, the significant moments, the sense of wonder you’ve experienced on the coast or in the ocean. Celebrate those memories and make plans to create new ones.
​
Remember that the dark days never last, and thanks to the work done by all of us, the coast we care for will still be there when the light returns.