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This post is kind of long and extremely sappy. You'll have to forgive me though, I'm an old softie and there are times that I want to let my feelings out. Even after twenty years of marriage, my wife still says that I'm the woman in the relationship. You'd just have to know us both to understand.

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I've followed Jimmy Buffett and his music for about 3 and a half years now (still a newbie in many ways, I know). I'm certainly happier now, tend to be more laid back, and more ready to "spend it while I can", since I "can't take it with me when I go". My new C'est la vie lifestyle is really more of an attitude and worldview for me... a new way to see things, more or less. Jimmy Buffett and his new genre of music has been like medicine for me - a prescription for exactly what my life has needed. It has made me less judgmental of others, more liberal (both socially and politically) and fortunately, there is a small part of me that actually looks forward to growing older for a change. For the past 20 years, my wife and I have focused almost exclusively on the needs of our children. In effect, it has been "their season". And now, with a bit of Buffettology in my bag of tricks, I look at the next 20 years as "my season", or "our season" (meaning, me and my wife). Not a bad way to look at the world, no?

With all the good that this new worldview has brought me, there is a bit of sadness there. As one who discovered Jimmy and his music later in life, there are many times that I regret not having become a Parrothead sooner. I remember after the Houston Minute Maid Park show in 2007, I read something that East Texas Parrot Head had posted here on BN. She said, "I've been following Jimmy for years ... so long that I was a parrothead before they had a name for us ... This was the best set list ever, for this old parrot chick".

It's a sweet statement and one that's full of meaning. I remember reading that quote and wondering to myself - where in the world have I been all of these years?

So I think of all the fun that I missed and the life-help I could have had all along. I think of the concerts that I never attended, the friends I never met, the stories I missed out on, and experiences that could have been but never were. I think of all the years of limited thinking and the negative way I focused only on the worries of today, rather than looking at my life as a flowing, undulating songline, with the present simply complimenting the future and the past. Gosh, I sure could have used a bit of that musical medicine back then.

And on the other hand... Becoming a Parrothead later in life has its rewards. Suddenly, I have this vast compendium of music and literature with which to study and learn. Instead of slowly absorbing the ideas and facts over an extended period of time, I'm able to examine and enjoy this body of work as a student of sorts, allowing it to paint on its own a series of pictures and lessons that I'm then able to incorporate into my life and relationships. I have to say, that has been exciting, enlightening and a lot of fun.

When we were children, we were easily entertained, weren't we? Simple things like puppet shows, movies, playing cars, foot races, or simply going on a hike were enough to hold our attention and fill our lives with a sense of awe and wonder. The world was full of magic and surprise and we were curious and hungry for adventure. But... we have to grow up. Now, as adults, there are just not as many things in life that will allow us to feel that sense of awe, wonder, curiosity and adventure on the same level that we could enjoy those feelings as a child.

I will always remember the Spring of 2006 as the time I became a child all over again. My sense of awe and wonder has been renewed. I live vicariously through the experiences of others, including those who sing the songs I love and those who post of their experiences on this board. My sense of adventure has been reignited and I look forward to my new season of life, full of adventure, travel, and friends. Thank you, Jimmy Buffett. Thank you Buffett News. Thank you Boat Drunks, Kelly McGuire, John Reno, Captain Quint, Mark Mulligan, and others. Thank you, dear wife, for recognizing what was happening to me and just letting me enjoy it. Thank you, Continental Airlines, for taking me and my family to Jamaica for 8 days. Thank you, Panama City Beach, for providing a mecca of sorts for me to return to year after year. Thank you, New Orleans, for giving my children a taste of world class food, world class music and world class culture. Thank you Carl Hiaasen, Herman Wouk, Tom Dorsey, Pat Conroy, Ernest Hemingway and Mark Twain for taking me away from my otherwise dull life.

One could say, I suppose, that this is just a hobby, and if I wasn't "into" being a Parrothead then I'd probably be "into" something else... like motorcycles, fishing, restoring old cars, photography or cooking. Perhaps they would argue that I would be just as happy, just as fulfilled, just as enthusiastic about one hobby as I would be about another. Those who say that just don't get it, do they? Being a Parrothead isn't a hobby. It's not simply an interest. It's not something that we learn about and do to pass the time, like setting aside a whole weekend to watch the first three seasons of Seinfeld. It's not like that. It's not.

Being a Parrothead changes the way I ride motorcycles. It changes the way I think while I'm fishing, taking pictures and cooking. Being a Parrothead allows me to enjoy my hobbies more than I would otherwise. Since March of 2006, I've been on a permanent vacation. In the past, I loved marinating, preparing and grilling shrimp and steak in my back yard. But now (being a Parrothead and all) I can marinate, prepare and grill steak and shrimp in my back yard while on vacation! Does that make sense? These days, I'm not just taking pictures of my kids at the neighborhood park. I take pictures of my children at the neighborhood park while on vacation. I wash my car on Satuday morning while on vacation. I trim the oak trees in front of my house while on vacation.

No... being a Parrothead isn't just a hobby. It's literally my window on the world.

well put....I agree 1000%

Wow! I'm so happy for you that you "get it." I enjoyed reading your sentiments very much. Thank you so much for posting and expressing yourself so well. And...FINS UP!

I'm glad to hear that your life has a positive lookout since becoming involved with JB and all things related.
You did a great job summarizing what it can be all about.
Hat's off to you!

Thank you for sharing your window on the world, Mr Twain. It was a joy to read, beginning to end. Profound and poetic, and pulling at heart strings.

I especially liked this part:

MrTwain wrote:...rather than looking at my life as a flowing, undulating songline, with the present simply complimenting the future and the past.

Thank you for planting a big, beaming, ear to ear smile on my face , and the warm fuzzy feeling in my heart. Happy day!

That was very good. It expresses the wistful thankfulness of the latecomer to all this. I'm one, too.

Wow. Great read. I to found Jimmy's music very late in life. Unfortunately, it took my wife getting terminally ill and eventually passing to fully understand and appreciate what his music can do and where it can take you. Now I also consider myself a parrot head. I'm off to St. Barts in a couple of days because I don't want to have any regrets before I die. And I know I would regret it if I didn't go. Everyday I feel like just getting in my car and driving due south as far as I can go. Hey, that would take me to Key West. And never turning back. And I may in 4 years when my youngest is out of high school. But for now, I'm stuck in the cool, cool north. I get it. Thanks for the great read.

RickyB wrote:Wow. Great read. I to found Jimmy's music very late in life. Unfortunately, it took my wife getting terminally ill and eventually passing to fully understand and appreciate what his music can do and where it can take you. Now I also consider myself a parrot head. I'm off to St. Barts in a couple of days because I don't want to have any regrets before I die. And I know I would regret it if I didn't go. Everyday I feel like just getting in my car and driving due south as far as I can go. Hey, that would take me to Key West. And never turning back. And I may in 4 years when my youngest is out of high school. But for now, I'm stuck in the cool, cool north. I get it. Thanks for the great read.

I did that 20 years ago on the eve of my 30th birthday (a road trip trip I've dubbed "A Surfer Looks At Thirty").
I'd been to Key West several times in the 1980s, but had never driven there.
With no particular schedule and 2 weeks to kill, I drove south down the east coast
hitting beaches along the way and doing a little surfing.
Eventually I ran out of road about 90 miles from Cuba and had to turn around and head back.
Before I left I figured I'd hang around a few barstools for a few days.
On the day I was heading home, I ran into this guy walking down Duval Street with briefcase in his hand.
Interesting chance encounter.
Up until that moment I never really considered myself to be a "parrothead" even though I had been to perhaps 30+ Jimmy Buffett Concerts at that time,
just a surfer who liked a varied collection of music.

Very nice Mr T! I could not say it better.
I'm a latecomer too and it's been a lot of fun reading all the books and finding all the old songs that speak to me personally.
To say nothing of the great and generous people I've met. In 5 days I'm heading to St Barts too, with people I didn't even know 4 years ago when I started going to concerts. And meeting up with friends I haven't met yet.
It just doesn't get any better!

Thanks Jimmy!

surfpirate wrote:

RickyB wrote:Wow. Great read. I to found Jimmy's music very late in life. Unfortunately, it took my wife getting terminally ill and eventually passing to fully understand and appreciate what his music can do and where it can take you. Now I also consider myself a parrot head. I'm off to St. Barts in a couple of days because I don't want to have any regrets before I die. And I know I would regret it if I didn't go. Everyday I feel like just getting in my car and driving due south as far as I can go. Hey, that would take me to Key West. And never turning back. And I may in 4 years when my youngest is out of high school. But for now, I'm stuck in the cool, cool north. I get it. Thanks for the great read.

I did that 20 years ago on the eve of my 30th birthday (a road trip trip I've dubbed "A Surfer Looks At Thirty").
I'd been to Key West several times in the 1980s, but had never driven there.
With no particular schedule and 2 weeks to kill, I drove south down the east coast
hitting beaches along the way and doing a little surfing.
Eventually I ran out of road about 90 miles from Cuba and had to turn around and head back.
Before I left I figured I'd hang around a few barstools for a few days.
On the day I was heading home, I ran into this guy walking down Duval Street with briefcase in his hand.
Interesting chance encounter.
Up until that moment I never really considered myself to be a "parrothead" even though I had been to perhaps 30+ Jimmy Buffett Concerts at that time,
just a surfer who liked a varied collection of music.

That is really, really cool.

I love knowing that there are others who "found Jimmy later in life" I have also envied ETP and her "early" Jimmy experiences.

Yesterday at the artist co-op where I work, the other lady said "How on earth did YOU become a parrothead?" (I'm not the world's greatest party animal )

I identify with Mr Twain's look back on his previous life and wishing he had learned to let go some of those worries a little earlier.

(Another sappy life story to follow)

I was always the "good child" at my house. Didn't argue with my folks, never drank until legal. never used drugs at although I grew up in the late 60's early 70's.

I worried constantly about what others thought of me, wanted to please everyone and was a doormat at work. After years of being a doormat at work, and always ending up on the low end of the totem pole, I found a group tht treated me with respect and that I loved working with. (They would have made great parrotheads...they worked and played hard) We had a demolition derby car at the fair one year...we all celebrated our succeses together. Some of the people had worked on this project their whole careers...it was for a new product that was being developed. There was a change in management and a change in focus and the whole project got cancelled. The whole group was set adrift to find new positions. About that time, I had gotten a Jimmy CD for Christmas. I began to play it in the office and wear my aloha shirts to work everyday. I decided I would enjoy my last few years with the company and not give a crap about how I was percieved. I found another position, wore my aloha shirts, decorated my office like a Caribbean island and played Buffett music all day. Amazingly enough, my boss thought the world of me. I wish I had learned to be my own person a lot sooner.

However, I still get incredulous looks of complete shock when I say I've gone "wherever" to go to a Buffett concert. The lady at work yesterday couldn't believe I had gone to a Buffett tailgate I guess I still don't look like good parrothead material.

Thanks Mr Twain for getting us to remember why we are all here...and reminding us to enjoy our songline...whatever it may be.

From one late comer to this wonderful madness to another, very well put.

My biggest regret is not paying attention to JB's music a long time ago. I sure wish I would have jumped on this ride a long time ago. However, this whole thing started for me in a time in my life when it needed to happen. Since I can't go back and live life over again I just work really hard at experiencing as much of this as I can now. In the past year I've gone places that I never thought I would go. I've met the nicest people. In exactly 3 weeks I will be in Uncasville, CT for the Mohegan Sun show, being in an unknown place, and meeting friends that I never met before. It's been the best thing that has happened to Ms Sammie and I all because of the music of Jimmy Buffett.

ParrotHeadInThe Making wrote:From one late comer to this wonderful madness to another, very well put.

My biggest regret is not paying attention to JB's music a long time ago. I sure wish I would have jumped on this ride a long time ago. However, this whole thing started for me in a time in my life when it needed to happen. Since I can't go back and live life over again I just work really hard at experiencing as much of this as I can now. In the past year I've gone places that I never thought I would go. I've met the nicest people. In exactly 3 weeks I will be in Uncasville, CT for the Mohegan Sun show, being in an unknown place, and meeting friends that I never met before. It's been the best thing that has happened to Ms Sammie and I all because of the music of Jimmy Buffett.

Same here, I always say I'm having my "misspent youth" now!

so total sappy story:: I've been a parrothead for quite a few years now. Two years ago, my dad was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Pretty much every day I drove 50 miles each way after work to see him and have supper with him. Just before he died, I was having a really bad time. My husband came home from work, and said "I bought a cheap watch from the crazy man today". Here he had made me a stopwatch that he had bought, took out all the guts, and on the on the inside it just said now and in the bottom side where the clock would have been it said "breathe in, breathe out, move on" i just started to cry. There was not much else I could do. So yeah, JB has been a very infuluential part of my life. Sometimes all it takes is a song, a southern accent and some good words to really make a person look at life a little differently. (My hubby is also from the south) This November we are going to Key West. I think I will not want to leave the land of us. kathy from Mora, Mn

Bubblewatcher, not a sappy story. I know what you were going through, and then some. Now let me go wipe the tears from my eyes. For real.

Thank YOU, 2 t's...

Wonderful post, and I have stories to tell as well...but no time tonight....just wanted to fix something....

Thank you, Jimmy Buffett. Thank you Buffett News. Thank you Boat Drunks, Kelly McGuire, John Reno, Captain Quint , Mark Mulligan, and others.

One of the very best posts I've read....Thank you for posting it Pat....You rock.

Thank you, MrTwain, for posting something that brings joy to everyone who reads it. And also for using the word "compendium" in a sentence.