Jimmy Buffett Day in Florida Labor Day Weekend and a 12 Step Catholic Muses
Which got me thinking in depth about his life on Earth.
There's very very few people I've ever wanted to trade places with or been jealous of.
Jimmy Buffett was one.
He did what he loved (music, writing) and got other people to embrace his lifestyle. He also traveled to exotic islands and locations. He surfed, fished, and chilled with friends, A lot!
IMHO he never had to fully make that transition to adulting.
I read a interview by Carl Haissen, the famous Florida Vibe writer, a close friend of Jimmy's. He said it was good to be Jimmy Buffett. And that he believed in having a good time ALL the Time!
Wow does that sound like a life I could embrace!!
My dream life, or at least it was.
I have spent A lot of time in the Keys. I started going in the early 80's. I had a boyfriend much older then me from Laguna Beach who knew Jimmy. And had stories.
Mostly about smoking grass and playing his guitar.
One time I was in The Keys I stayed on a houseboat for a few weeks I think (it's a bit foggy), and Jimmy's Album or I should say cassette came out, Floridays. Well I listened and listened to that cassette til it broke and bought another one.
My boyfriend at the time turned me onto a lot of earlier stuff of Jimmy's. I was hooked. That's when I knew I was going to live out my life in Florida, actually I had always wanted to. But made the Adult decision too.
It's been 30 years. I don't regret a minute of it.
I got in Recovery in Florida. I meet my current and devoted husband in Florida, I came back to my Catholic Faith in Florida. I became an aspiring Artisan in Florida. I got my Esthetician license in Florida. I cared for sick, elderly and dying in Florida.
We were led to start Catholic Recovery Ministries in Florida.
The list of gratitude I have for the State is endless.
This State that gets ferocious Hurricanes, Humidity that makes you turn into a puddle, Heat that takes your breath away, and sunshine that never stops. Yah I love it all. And Jimmy.
But I now have to say I'm not chasing the dreamy life he had, or I'm envious of.
Life is ups and downs. As a 12 Step Catholic, I know suffering is part of life. The Cross is heavy and my spirit can be low. I know I can't outrun the suffering and pain of life. And I can't expect to be having a good time all the time.
It's my fantasy thinking that creates this unrealistic view of life. I have read that Jimmy's drinking got bad at one point. He did counseling. He still drank but was a more a controlled drinker.
One thing he couldn't do is outrun cancer.
He was brought up Catholic. By Jesuit Priests. He was expected to be a Jesuit Priest or go into military. Obviously neither he did.
I have wondered if on his death bed he came back to his Childhood Faith? Or before that?
Making people smile and laugh he certainly did.
But was he the Clown that cries when no one else is around?
Did he have heartache? Did he suffer? Other then the Cancer of course.
As Catholics we believe that if we suffer on Earth we don't suffer in Purgatory. That the suffering here is much less painful than Purgatory.
I won't ever forget Jimmy. But I am looking at him without rose colored ray bans.
I pray for his soul and I thank him for helping me find my home during a time I had no anchor, and for finding my way back home when I left for California.
I also thank him for showing me what a Artist can be. And I can create something that reflects my beliefs and my lifestyle. I didn't have to change who I am as an Artist.
Rest in Eternal Peace Jimmy. And thank you.
Oxoxox
Shanti
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