Ode to Jimmy Buffett

'He's just a musician...'

'You don't even know him...'

I read earlier today that my favorite artist passed away. Not the words I wanted to see as I expected him to live forever as all legends do.

But this one is a little different. This one hurts a little bit more.

Maybe I'm just overly sensitive or just a little to wrapped up in what I always tell my wife, ' I am searching for that Buffett lifestyle. Jimmy is my spirit animal.' Margaritas, a warm sunny day, the crash of the ocean waves, and some relaxing music. Who wouldn't want that?

Maybe it's because I lost another connection to the greatest legend of all, my mom. I remember as a kid we'd play that Jimmy Buffett CD, 'Songs You Know By Heart' and pretty soon his songs became my songs. She'd laugh and say like Jimmy said, 'If we couldn't laugh we would all go insane.'

I remember waiting to hear if we managed to get Buffett tickets each summer as I got older, and I was lucky enough to see him a few times. One memory of those shows wasn't Jimmy himself but the huge smiles on all of our faces as we pulled into our tailgating spot and opened the trunk of the SUV and had my mom's pico de gallo, homemade margarita mix and some Landshark lager.

Yes, I didn't know him personally but I do know the magic he created when my mom and I would sing, 'Margaritaville' in the car all those times, that is something that I won't forget.

So today my friends, sing a song, laugh a little bit, and always be looking for that, 'One particular harbor'.

Fair winds and smooth sailing, Jimmy Buffett.