I woke up to the news today. A legend. Timeless music. An icon. A vibe. A way of life. A true performer. Gone. I learned Jimmy Buffett has passed away. In my mind, he was still so young, at 76. If you followed the man however, you know he lived, really lived, probably many lifetimes. He had a little, or sometimes alot, of himself in many different things. His influence has arguably reached more areas and more people across the globe than most popular figures in our time.

My first thought was how fitting it was that he would pass on September 1st. If you are lucky enough to live in Massachusetts or Rhode Island, then you know for years we were the home of The Labor Day Weekend Show at Great Woods in Mansfield, MA. Every year throughout high school, college, and after, spanning nearly 2 decades, I would go to one of those shows that weekend. We brought our old friends and made new ones there. We wore coconut bras and grass skirts. We drank margaritas and grilled up cheeseburgers in paradise. We were pirates. We watched out for sharks. It was a long, fun, crazy weekend, but come Monday, we would be alright. We didn’t need a change in latitude to change our attitude. That happened through the experience of those concerts. It happened when we were tailgating, sitting in the backs of pick up trucks made into pools and jumping into a limbo competition.

All summer long, we would look forward to the best day and night of summer, Jimmy Buffett. Driving to Great Woods, on the highway, we would wave to other Parrotheads, inflatable sharks on the tops of their cars, inflatable palm trees hanging out the windows. Everyone knew where you were headed.

I’m made for summer. It’s just the way it is. I’m a New England girl who sucks it up for the other three seasons to have, once again, my beloved summers. Labor Day Weekend has always been quite bittersweet for me. I looked forward to that concert, but when it was over, I knew summer was as well. The day after the Jimmy Buffett concert was always the toughest day of the year for me. The build up, the amazing time to send off my favorite season, and then the sadness, the hangover, not necessarily from too much alcohol, but more from SO MUCH FUN.

Well, that’s how I see it fitting that when Jimmy passed over to the other side, it should be Labor Day Weekend. I can’t imagine a more fitting time for a man who emanated exactly what life should be, how life should be lived. A life well-lived has encompassed joy, smiles, kindness, compassion, humor, caring for the world around you, and bringing joy to others. A life well-lived means seeing the world and having a positive impact. It means knowing you truly did it all and touched people in a positive way. Now, Labor Day Weekend, as he sails away and changes latitudes for what is truly paradise, we are sad to see him go. This legend, however, will be celebrated, will live on, and will still bring joy through music and a lifestyle that will never die.

Thank you, Mr. Buffett, for changing my life for the better, for showing me from a young age how to bring joy to my life, and how important it is to also bring joy to the rest of the world. I am, and always will be, proud to call myself a Parrothead.

Rest in the sweetest peace.