MMTT4S - How Did We Ever Get Here?

Captain's log: 10 July 2019, In some serious Texas heat

It seems as if life is defined by migration.

According to mnn.com, Monarch butterflies take 6 months to migrate a few thousand miles. That's not the impressive part. Its lifespan is only a couple of months. So, doing the math here tells us that it takes generations to complete the migration. A typical Gray whale will travel over 10,000 miles in a year. Thankfully it will see the entire migration through, multiple times, unlike the Monarch.

Image courtesy of
worldofhummingbirds.com

Unfortunately, the belief that hummingbirds migrate on the backs of geese is just a myth. That's a shame in my book, because it's an awesome visual, isn't it? Still, the fact that these little boogers can hum right across the Gulf of Mexico or the Mojave Desert is amazing.

Animals migrate for a myriad of reasons: food, breeding, weather, habitat loss. The migration of some animals is still inexplicable to scientists.

We humans are no different. While we have a myriad of migratory patterns, many of which are a mystery to scientists as well, we do move from place to place. We move to seek better opportunities, and/or better living conditions, to escape, to start anew, to hide, to find ourselves, to lose ourselves.

Then there's the migration from life stage to life stage.

Jimmy possibly considering how he got there
Image courtesy of Amazon.com

Today's tune is aptly named "Migration" and is found on Jimmy Buffett's 1974 album A1A. It's yet another reflection piece that mixes with opinion on the state of things, advice, and a glimpse into the possible future. If you think Buffett sings about himself a good bit, well...he does. He's craftily created his persona that way, along with the whole Margaritaville mystique and brand. Why not? His is an entertaining story. Plus, he tells it with the flair for adventure, romance, and the poetic that most successful storytellers possess.

When I look back on my life, my migratory patterns are interesting to say the least. As Buffett says, when "trying to figure out how I got here...some things are still a mystery to me while others are much too clear." I tend to believe that there are some things God, in his infinite wisdom, planned as non-negotiables in my life, despite my best efforts to screw them up. I also believe that God, in his infinite wisdom, let my choices dictate some of the aspects of my life. In retrospect, though, my migration fills me with awe and wonder. My physical, meta-physical, emotional, psychological journey has defined me and continues to do so. Our summer migration to Surfside beach in the summers of my youth, our regular migrations to family homes, our migration to 6 different towns while I was growing up, my migration to Miami and then to Spartanburg and then to Abilene and then to Lexington are all physical movements that heavily impacted who I am today. Our migratory patterns now to the coast, to Texas, following our children's own adventures, and escaping on our own happen for various reasons but are both a result of who we are and a cause of who we are becoming.

In Jimmy's song "Migration" he mentions the repercussions of past decisions - being a merchant marine had he not learned to sing, getting married too early being a costly choice - and how to deal with looking back. According to Buffett (and pretty much everyone else) learning from the past is crucial. Indeed it is. It's also educational. He decided that it was time to have a little fun at one point in his life. Boy do we need to remind ourselves of that, huh?

I see some similarities in one verse in which he declares it to be a mystery to him "why some people live like they do," clueless to the wonderful things happening "out there" and my mantra of living ina state of constant total amazement. Often, looking back on our own songlines will help promote this type of philosophy. At least it does for me.

Lyle Lovett image courtesy of
esquire.com

One of my favorite lines comes from the chorus. While it does not completely define me, I can relate big time. Buffett sings, "I've got a Caribbean soul I can barely control and some Texas hidden here in my heart." As is sit here in Abilene, Texas, listening to Latino Tropical music channel on the cable TV, this sentiment is not lost on me. While I'm a Carolina boy for sure, my time in and connections to Texas have placed a permanent place deep in my heart for the Lone Star State. I could easily live here, and as I've mentioned earlier, Lye Lovett has assured me that even though I'm not from here, Texas wants me anyway. Proof that my migration has defined me.

Where my tropical gypsy soul comes from I'm not sure. Maybe its from my time spent in the Everglades or gazing out upon a 3AM orange glow over Miami or strolling along the shores all over the east and Gulf coasts or losing myself in the pages of magazines like National Geographic, Islands, or books like Treasure Island, Hawaii, Don't Stop the Carnival. I know I get some of my wanderlust from my dad and my love of the beach from my mom and wherever they got theirs from. I feel certain, though, that my life's migration has help influence it and vice versa.

So, take a listen to "Migration" and laugh about Buffett's opinion on mobile homes in the keys and what his plans once were if he made it to senior adulthood. Learn a little about his past. Tap your foot. Take some time. Reflect on your own life's migration. See if you can answer the question, "How did we ever get here?"

Aloha, amigos!

MMTT4S - Hurricane Coping Advice. Part 2

My last post shared a wise, age-old, proven technique from Jimmy Buffett for dealing with catastrophe – Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On. Simple to say, not always simple to do.

Just because it is hurricane season, however, doesn’t mean catastrophe is inevitable. So, how do we coastal residents handle severe weather preparedness without letting our anxiety spin out of control (in a counter-clockwise motion since we’re in the northern hemisphere)?

Let’s turn to our Sage of Somewhere Hot for a suggestion or two.

In today’s song, appropriately named “Trying to Reason withHurricane Season,” Buffett seems to be briefly journaling about a Key West Sunday spent recovering from a typical Key West Saturday, while “squalls out on the Gulf Stream” are signaling nasty weather on the way.

If you’re one of those old salts who consider hurricane prep old hat and you’re just too old school, and really just too darn old, to panic and leave, then you might subscribe to Buffett’s way of dealing with tropical storms, at least on this particular day. 

Image courtesy of liquor.com

What’s the first thing Jimmy does when he predicts a “big storm coming soon?” Like any Weather Channel-worshipping whipper-snapper, Jimmy hits the hammock. He naps, or passes out more precisely. For a nice-long snooze, too.  Then, just to confirm his lack of anxiety, he heads next door to the bar, probably Louie’s Back Yard (as he refers to it in some of his live versions) for a Bloody Mary. Not a hurricane of the cocktail sort, mind you, but a Bloody Mary. He did just wake up, after all, and I guess hurricane cocktails are rather touristy anyway. As a matter of fact, Jimmy’s only real concern at this moment is if he’ll have to focus on anything outside of his immediate and up-close vicinity. Yep – obvious symptoms of Key West day-after vision impairment. Well, that and the stumbling.

So, it would seem that Jimmy isn’t all that concerned with the possibility of a hurricane. If you’re in the southern Keys, though, there probably aren’t many places to run and hide. Given the state of storm tracking technology back in the 70s as compared to today, Buffett’s reaction is probably a little more commonplace for the time…and place.

Then, Jimmy becomes a little pensive and reflects on his Key West lifestyle, realizing he must slow down at some point. His pace must have been a little fast because he mentions needing some rest and feeling tired more than once. Back in the 70s and even the 80s, Key West was an ideal place to tie one on and the sleep it off. Buffett and his music were heavily influenced by the Key West scene, and vice versa. It seemed to suit his song line. 

Image courtesy of FloridaMemory.com

Well, Jimmy catches a brief second wind while strolling down A1A and knows he needs to take advantage of it. So, in the midst of impending inclement weather, Jimmy pens this song while sitting all alone on the beach. Not a bad spot to write a song. Not a bad spot, period.

Unless it’s storming!

Finally, high winds, white caps, and waterspout conditions send Jimmy in to close the shutters and hunker down. No plywood or duct tape. Just a songwriter with a pen and paper, on the way back from a hangover, possibly working his way into a new one, and dreaming of an upcoming trip to Paris. Much like hurricanes have always cleaned out the land in their paths, Jimmy’s insanely paced moments of wallowing in folly clean out his brain and allow him to move on.

Let’s just hope that catastrophe will not strike this summer, whether you prepare with a Bloody Mary or a weather radio and chart. It’s a given, though, that hurricanes will come and go again at some point. When that happens, turn on a Buffett tune (and maybe The Weather Channel's Jim Cantore, possibly muted) and move on. May I suggest something from Buffett's 1975 album A1A?

Image courtesy of Amazon.com