I used to always look forward to coming home more than I do now. I knew a visit to Publix was equivalent to an unofficial and unplanned reunion. If I dare step foot in there, I'd better be ready to talk to at least someone I knew well. My most recent visit, I didn't know one soul which strangely, bothered me. Any other day, I would be ecstatic and view this as a miracle.

These days, my excitement to come home has diminished a bit. Each time I go home, I'm greeted with more changes. It's becoming increasing hard to come home so eagerly as the town that built me has changed so drastically in such little time. It's no longer my perception and definition of small, making me feel a bit of a stranger in my own hometown. Quite frankly, it's hard to bare especially when you feel so crippled to it's ongoing changes.

I grew up in Beaufort with the luxury of a small town feel and knowing all the places one may go and see, there's no substitute for a small community and salt and marsh. Beauty was palpable and now what I once loved is becoming a distant memory.

As a child, I was hardly seen with shoes on and I have always been attached to the outdoors. I have always envisioned making this my permanent home one day but now I'm just not so sure. I once felt the place I call home was also home to great charm and beauty. But, what made this town so special, it seems we have pimped them out.

These days, we are no longer home to few people making knowing everyone not so easy. We have increased in size. Big time. It's bumper to bumper traffic, unsustainable human influx, and never ending "construction". (Clearly, I'm mocking the use of the word "construction" as I and many others feel it's an on going disaster). Dollar stores are found everywhere and a new Walmart is on the rise. We have allowed newcomers to dictate the future of our town and have carelessly watched as treasured pieces have eroded away. It's not who we were or who we are, but I guess it's what we will be be. For that, it truly saddens me. I suppose I just lament the days when there were few stop lights and hardly a busy road. The days where the word "traffic" was so foreign to me. The days you could go explore back creeks and there weren't docks sprouting from every island. The days with few lanes, mediums, and more trees. The days when you could go out exploring islands and hardly expect to see a soul. The days you knew every business on the Island and in town. You'd know their owner and what kind of dog they owned as well. The history and beauty of this place were incredibly special but it seems we pimped them out as well.

The growth appears inevitable, and how we grow should be looked at with more caution. I don't believe the way we are growing is the right way to expand a town.

We need to do better about the place we care about. Let's work a little harder on conserving beauty and keeping what charm we have left still alive. Outsiders are not going to appreciate this town like we do. What makes Beaufort beautiful is a plethora of things and for whatever reason, they are seemingly blind and don't have the appreciation that I have for the beauty that's carried throughout the town. I'll do my part and ask that you do yours. Until then, my life will continue but I hope the erosion of my town will not.

I want my town back.