But although the days of waiting, wondering, and fearing may in fact be coming to an end, gulf coast residents are still in the thick of hard times, and everyone is aware of this. To state something that everybody is sickingly conscious of, this incident that has ruled the summer has negatively affected and ruined many, many lives and businesses along southern shores, some of which may never recover. But is it absurd to think that without this spill, Gulf Shores (along with other beach communities) wouldn’t have the new and fantastic opportunities that are now possible.

There’s a chance for an ever better life after a deathly three and a half months. One that could very well give the gulf coast a different position in the years to come; a greater appreciation. Of course this disaster is an absolutely terrible occurrence; one that was never wanted and one that will never be forgotten. But I’m curiously taking a different angel on this situation: How can gulf coast communities benefit from the publicity and concern of the public triggered by the oil spill.

April 20th marked the beginning of a period of time that would prove difficult and testing, yet it also marked a rare chance to put communities along the coast, including Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, on the map even in a dreadful situation. Before the Deepwater Horizon explosion, each beach community was very successful, tourist-abundant towns but kept secret from parts of the United States other than the southeast. Oddly enough, if the Gulf Oil Spill had never happened, the nation would not have seen our beautiful beaches on live television.

Before I sat down to watch the Jimmy Buffet concert a few weeks ago after failing to get tickets, I never expected much from the music star’s homecoming except a great chance for business. Yet the concert, set up on the Gulf Shores Public Beach, was aired across the nation on CMT, providing a very useful chance to promote this undiscovered area. After watching for a while, I was pleasantly amazed at the coverage that was frequently showing aerial views of the water and beach. Impressed, I enthusiastically uttered, “This is good.” Somewhat to myself and somewhat to our family’s chocolate lab, wagging her tail as if agreeing with my comment.

 A week later, I plop down on the steps of my front porch one humid morning to flip through the New York Times that’s delivered to our house every Sunday. After pulling the paper from its bag, my eyes meet the front page where I’m surprised by a large picture of a beautiful, stark white beach, one looking identical to the beach just a few minutes from my house. Sure enough, under the picture is a caption that reads Gulf Shores, Ala. Once again, my hometown was being exposed to millions of people, and with a beach like that it’s hard not to become curious about the area. “This is very good,” I delightedly whispered to myself once again.

Obviously, this disaster has posed more problems to sea life and the communities reliant on gulf sea life than was ever thought possible. But when and if these communities bounce back and finally return to everyday life, I believe they will begin a new era that will not be familiar. Familiar in a sense that our small towns will reach greater levels. I believe that once the oil spill’s wake has calmed and things return to normal, gulf coast towns will be unleashed to a new number of eager vacationers; a broader audience to our area’s beauty. I believe that once our beach towns are wiped clean from oil, they’ll shine even brighter. But until then, we’ll just have to wait and see.