“Some of it’s magic, some of it’s tragic
But I had a good life all the way” (He Went to Paris, Jimmy Buffett).

One of the first things I saw this morning was about the passing of Jimmy Buffett. I can’t call myself a Parrothead because I never saw him in concert, and the only t-shirt I have of his came from Goodwill. But I’ve liked his music for a long time.

For me, whenever I hear a Jimmy Buffett song, my mind always takes me back to those Panama City trips back in the late 90s. There were two guys who set up on the beach and played nothing but Jimmy Buffett songs. They were armed with two guitars and some canned background music.

It sounds cheesy (and it probably was), but that’s how I got my introduction to most of Jimmy Buffett’s songs. Now when I hear any of his music, it instantly takes me to those beaches. Isn’t there something about hearing Jimmy Buffett that makes you want to go somewhere tropical and sip on a drink with an umbrella sticking out of it?

Music has that power to conjure up memories and feelings like nothing else. If I hear Margaritaville, I am instantly back in 1995, smelling the ocean air, hearing the waves, and enjoying good times with my friends. Plus those two guys doing their best Jimmy Buffett impersonations.

Thank you, Jimmy, for all those years of great music that made us all want to go South and stick our toes in the sand where the ocean meets the shore.