By Charles P. Eberson
Senior Moments
It’s been difficult recently to view the news or scroll social media without seeing stories about the passing of Jimmy Buffett.
For people of my generation, Buffett symbolized the notion of “Island Escapism.” Media outlets are flooding the airwaves with stories about his life, to which I have little to add. I can only tell you how his life relates to me.
My 9-year-old grandson is fond of starting off conversations with, “back in the day,” which always brings a smile to my face. For me the phrase calls to mind a time when I was searching for my own “escapism” before it ever became a buzzword. I would grab my surfboard and head to the ocean; Mother Ocean as Jimmy would call it.
When I think back to those tender years now, I wonder what I thought I was escaping. Perhaps it was just gravity’s pull on the body to float in the cool embrace of the ocean, which gave me some measure of calmness. It still does.
In 1994 our Florida friends invited us to join them in The Keys: Big Pine Key to be exact. They greeted us with a hand-painted coconut with an inscription painted on it which read, “The Weather is Here, Wish You Were Beautiful,” the title of a Buffett song. They also gave us the Jimmy Buffett box set of CDs, “Boats, Beaches, Bars & Ballads,” along with some Florida Keys beer cozies.
Needless to say the music and margaritas were flowing amid the warm island breezes. A short ride down Route 1 was Key West, so we took the drive and spent the evening walking around Duval Street and watched the sunset as well as the activities in Mallory Square. I felt like I was on Jimmy Buffett’s hallowed ground just taking small sips of his world of “island escapism.”
After sunset we all went to Margaritaville restaurant where we were promptly greeted and handed a menu. A menu? Who doesn’t order a cheeseburger in Margaritaville? Order a hot dog, chicken fingers? Blasphemy! We ordered cheeseburgers all around and I pondered whether I should liberate a shaker of salt.
Dinner was followed by a buying spree in the retail store purchasing t-shirts, posters and the original Buffett Margarita recipe in the hope that we could bring some of that Buffett vibe back to change our attitude without changing latitudes.
Although I haven’t gone to as many as the most ardent Parrotheads, his concerts also offered a brief respite from the day-to-day travails in our fast-paced and often chaotic world. One could come away from a Jimmy Buffett concert with a renewed promise to slow down and smell the salt air.
Here’s a challenge to any Buffett fan: when you are driving for an appointment or on the road for practically any reason, take a cleansing breath when a favorite Buffett song plays. Your grip on the steering wheel will relax, if even just a little.
Jimmy led a prolific life. With the same 24 hours in a day that all of us have been gifted with, Buffett, along with his music successes, was an author, actor, sailor, pilot, restaurateur, senior living and campground developer, playwright and of course, a husband and dad. Quite a legacy.
But like all of the wonderful musicians who have passed on, Jimmy isn’t gone as long as we have his music, which will live on for eternity. He has just left this One Particular Harbor for many more.
Sail on Jolly Mon, sail.
Charles Eberson has been in the newspaper business for over 25 years. He has worked as a writer, advertising executive, circulation manager and photographer. His photography can be viewed at charles-eberson.fineartamerica.com
