A Race for Life

Carelessly she tosses the plastic top of her Pepsi bottle into the water as she keeps walking while gulping the drink in the hot Mexican sun.

The white cap floats upside down in the crystal clear lagoon.

A scream immediately follows as a woman runs down the gangplank, retrieves a catch net and runs as fast as she can to the lagoon.

At the same time the giant Manatee is moving as quickly as it can towards the floating bottle cap.

A race for life is one.

The woman ... young, athelitic, brown skinned with long flowing black hair ... screams, "NO! NO! NO!"

The Manatee gluides effortlessly.

The crowd in the Marina watch holding our breath.

Just as the Manatee begins to surface, the net scoops the bottle cap from the water.

The Manatee submerges.

The woman is drenched in sweat but smiles.

On Tybee Island where we live, there is discussion of banning plastic bags because too many people lose them on the beach and the wind blows them into the ocean where turtles and fish mistake them for food.

Certainly it's the exception rather the rule ... most people clean up after themselves but too many don't and their bags become predators.

It's unfortunate that plastic bags are a way of life in the United States because they are more cost effecient for manufactors and suppliers.

It's hard to buy anything anymore without a plastic bag.

Of course it's not the bags fault ... it's the users.

I already think Tybee is over-regulated, heavily enforced and oppresively fined so the last thing it needs is another regulation.

Besides it would penalize the majority because of the acts of the few.

Yet after watching a race for life yesterday and feeding the Manatee a head of lettece while it hugged  my leg, it makes me wonder if Tybee's getting this one right.