Thank you — and I'm very happy and honored to hear that the stories have been a comfort. You may have to hunt around in Buffet's work to find something that works for you — check out the earliest albums first!
Good take on JB. I grew up in Florida during Jimmy’s singer songwriter days, and his songs spoke to a restless stoner kid. They made me want to go out and meet characters and have adventures. I must say having “why don’t we get drunk...” as your wedding song is an epic choice. Obviously, a fun, goof of a song but also a little sly. Even the first line, “I really do appreciate, the fact your sitting here”, summed up the self deprecating humor. The object of his affections overarching attribute was that she was available.
You're right, those subtle word choices were a trademark. Like the first line of Cheeseburger: "Tried to amend my carnivorous habits"... that's a very prose-style choice ;-)
Loved reading about both things. And 100% agree with how important creative outlets can be for mental health, or even health in general.
I never would’ve imagined how helpful writing would be for me. But I don’t know if I would’ve even started had I not had the unstructured time during the pandemic. Space and time are huge barriers to creative endeavors, which are too often undervalued. PoetsIN sounds like a great way to meet people where they’re at, offering that space, time, and support — but without pressure.
I would love to see more creative therapies incorporated into traditional healthcare. They might be helpful for people experiencing almost any kind of chronic or challenging health condition.
Such a good point about needing the space to take the plunge into creative endeavors — and also some support, which often comes through friends. I agree and honestly believe that helping people to find ways of being creative would be a huge boon for mental health in general.
I once saw Jimmy Buffet play live, by complete coincidence, at a hotel bar in Waikiki (when I was at UH for a research semester, looong time ago in 2002). I was simply sitting on the beach close by, with a few recent acquaintances, all surf bums, who were appalled I'd never heard of him before. We had our beers hidden under a beach towel, and listened in for free from beyond the hotel area's fence. And then, halfway through, he announced a pal would join him on stage for the next song, and it was Bruce Willis! ... In any case, the concert, as well as the entire 5 months spent on Oahu, to me represents "living in the moment" and "enjoying the good stuff life throws at you", which helps build a reservoir of stuff to look back on when you're feeling low. So in a way, this rambling comment is about both your topics :)
Wow - I envy that experience, all five months of it! And you're right, it's so easy to take the good stuff for granted and always focus on the bad... a good lesson.
tbf, with age and experience and the state of the world, I do need to remind myself of lessons like that more often. But until I was around thirty, I think I was both lucky in terms of not experiencing that many things that darken your spirit, and in possession of a robust blue-eyed-ness that protected me from descending into what I now call the grayness. That only came later, but it helps if you can hark back to times like those five months, or others, mostly travels and time spent abroad. I thrive on novelty and exploration, I guess.
So many great Buffett lyrics feel like short stories to me, sometimes even a single verse, like "Well now if I ever live to be an old man/I'm gonna sail down to Martinique/I'm gonna buy me a sweat-stained Bogart suit/And an African parakeet/And then I'll sit him on my shoulder/And open up my trusty old mind/I'm gonna teach him how to cuss, teach him how to fuss/And pull the cork out of a bottle of wine" or "Tried to phone from Paris thinking things could be arranged/Me and you would rendezvous but I found your number changed/So I drove to San Remo where the crazy painter dwells/Toasted our old photograph still up there on his shelf."
PoetsIN sounds wonderful, and thank you for supporting mental health!
Two posts sounds about right... there was a gap while I got my son to college. Hopefully I'll get back into the swing of it! And enjoy Buffett... the first few albums are more of the singer/songwriter vibe, but there's fun ones from later. And I'm glad PoetsIN sounds interesting!
Thank you — and I'm very happy and honored to hear that the stories have been a comfort. You may have to hunt around in Buffet's work to find something that works for you — check out the earliest albums first!
Good take on JB. I grew up in Florida during Jimmy’s singer songwriter days, and his songs spoke to a restless stoner kid. They made me want to go out and meet characters and have adventures. I must say having “why don’t we get drunk...” as your wedding song is an epic choice. Obviously, a fun, goof of a song but also a little sly. Even the first line, “I really do appreciate, the fact your sitting here”, summed up the self deprecating humor. The object of his affections overarching attribute was that she was available.
You're right, those subtle word choices were a trademark. Like the first line of Cheeseburger: "Tried to amend my carnivorous habits"... that's a very prose-style choice ;-)
We will check out that charity. Thanks
Thank you!
Loved reading about both things. And 100% agree with how important creative outlets can be for mental health, or even health in general.
I never would’ve imagined how helpful writing would be for me. But I don’t know if I would’ve even started had I not had the unstructured time during the pandemic. Space and time are huge barriers to creative endeavors, which are too often undervalued. PoetsIN sounds like a great way to meet people where they’re at, offering that space, time, and support — but without pressure.
I would love to see more creative therapies incorporated into traditional healthcare. They might be helpful for people experiencing almost any kind of chronic or challenging health condition.
Such a good point about needing the space to take the plunge into creative endeavors — and also some support, which often comes through friends. I agree and honestly believe that helping people to find ways of being creative would be a huge boon for mental health in general.
I once saw Jimmy Buffet play live, by complete coincidence, at a hotel bar in Waikiki (when I was at UH for a research semester, looong time ago in 2002). I was simply sitting on the beach close by, with a few recent acquaintances, all surf bums, who were appalled I'd never heard of him before. We had our beers hidden under a beach towel, and listened in for free from beyond the hotel area's fence. And then, halfway through, he announced a pal would join him on stage for the next song, and it was Bruce Willis! ... In any case, the concert, as well as the entire 5 months spent on Oahu, to me represents "living in the moment" and "enjoying the good stuff life throws at you", which helps build a reservoir of stuff to look back on when you're feeling low. So in a way, this rambling comment is about both your topics :)
Wow - I envy that experience, all five months of it! And you're right, it's so easy to take the good stuff for granted and always focus on the bad... a good lesson.
tbf, with age and experience and the state of the world, I do need to remind myself of lessons like that more often. But until I was around thirty, I think I was both lucky in terms of not experiencing that many things that darken your spirit, and in possession of a robust blue-eyed-ness that protected me from descending into what I now call the grayness. That only came later, but it helps if you can hark back to times like those five months, or others, mostly travels and time spent abroad. I thrive on novelty and exploration, I guess.
That’s a great, positive, life affirming post. Thanks.
Thank you!
So many great Buffett lyrics feel like short stories to me, sometimes even a single verse, like "Well now if I ever live to be an old man/I'm gonna sail down to Martinique/I'm gonna buy me a sweat-stained Bogart suit/And an African parakeet/And then I'll sit him on my shoulder/And open up my trusty old mind/I'm gonna teach him how to cuss, teach him how to fuss/And pull the cork out of a bottle of wine" or "Tried to phone from Paris thinking things could be arranged/Me and you would rendezvous but I found your number changed/So I drove to San Remo where the crazy painter dwells/Toasted our old photograph still up there on his shelf."
PoetsIN sounds wonderful, and thank you for supporting mental health!
You're welcome - really glad to be able to bring PoetsIn to people's attention.
And you're so right about Buffet's lyrics: they're definitely short stories, super-concise and always landing well.
Not sure if I've ever heard a Buffet song! Will give him a whirl. Many of my US connections on LinkedIn mentioned him.
PoetsIn sounds right up my street so thanks for the heads up!
Just as a point of order, I've only had two posts from you over the last few weeks. Are you busy with life or am I not getting the feed?
Two posts sounds about right... there was a gap while I got my son to college. Hopefully I'll get back into the swing of it! And enjoy Buffett... the first few albums are more of the singer/songwriter vibe, but there's fun ones from later. And I'm glad PoetsIN sounds interesting!