Islands have played a part in fictional stories for years. The Swiss Family Robinson, Gulliver’s Travels, Lord of the Flies, and the television series Gilligan’s Island were all based on an Island location. When a writer uses an island as a setting for a story, it provides a backdrop of adventure, isolation, and romance.
Think about
it. When you think of an Island, what comes to
mind? Do you think of tropical, lush
landscapes, palm trees, white sandy beaches?
Yeah, I visualize that too. Now think of our coastal island of Goose
Creek Island. I see marsh, wildlife, fishermen, boats and
farmers.
For those of us from Goose
Creek Island, how
many times have we heard that we live "isolated from the world". That we are unable to quickly access the convenient
comforts in Bayboro and Aurora. Although
those conveniences are a short distance away,
isolation can be a good thing. Everyone here
knows each other. When tragedy strikes,
everyone finds a way to help. When we
lose a resident, each one of us feels a connection to the deceased.
I think
about our ancestors who first settled Goose Creek
Island in the 1700’s. The Island was a
testing ground for a new way of life.
They had to travel by boat up the rivers or across the sound to access
goods and services. There was no such
thing as the emergency room or dentist office.
They learned to “make do” with the knowledge they were given, how to live
off the land and with what they had been given.
In all my research on Goose Creek
Island, I have not learned of one
family who “starved to death” by living here.
Our
ancestors and those of us today have utilized our surroundings on the Island
to make a life of living here. The rich,
black soil has produced many an abundant garden. The surrounding waters have given us the
luxury of a shrimp dinner or a mess of oysters.
Not many folks can say they have that luxury.
Even in our materialized world
today, I bet there are many Island women who
still know how to sew a dress from a Simplicity pattern. We have learned to
adapt to the weather and the cycles of drought and rainy seasons. We have
learned to be sustainable with the resources we have been given and acquired. We
have also learned to do “without”.
Even though
Goose Creek Island
isn’t that tropical paradise so many people characterize in an Island,
it does offer many enchanting spots – the docks, the creeks, the marsh, the
forests. If one opened their mind and
heart, inspiration can be drawn from the abundant nature found here and the
many sunrises and sunsets along the shores.
So
all you ‘naysayers’ out there who say they wouldn’t live on Goose Creek Island
or to those who can’t grasp the quality of life we experienced growing up in such
a wonderful place, I say you have to experience it to appreciate it. The
benefits of being here far outweigh what you think you might be missing.
