Book 3: Jimmy Buffett - A Pirate Looks At 50

 

A Pirate Looks At Fifty

Jimmy Buffet

 Released: June 1st, 1998

 (Was originally written October 31st, 2022)

2 down, 3 to read 

This book was picked up randomly by me, and I truly have enjoyed this story.  I don’t know much about Jimmy Buffett.  I know “Margaritaville”, “It’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere” with Alan Jackson, and the Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurants.  I played those songs on WAYZ a lot, and frequented the restaurant with my ex when I lived in Southern Maryland.   

I picked up this book early this year.  I found it in the clearance section of a Half-Priced Books.  This was one of the best finds I have ever found.  Because there’s a lot of life, adventure, exploring, and intrigue found in these 458 pages.  I started reading this back in March after reading “The Jordan Rules”.  I remember reading it at the airport in San Diego as I awaited the arrival of my friends.  I continue reading it upon my return.  I soon met a new friend in life who introduced my to the A Court of Thorns and Roses series.  I made the decision to switch gears and begin reading that and their encouragement.  Once I finished the first book, I read “Second Coming of Michael Jordan”.  The. I followed up with Books 2 & 3 of ACOTAR.  This month, I made the decision to finish this book.  It’s strange, but finishing this book feels like the closing of a chapter in life.  I feel as though I’ve lived some sort of an entire life between March and now.  I had to finish this book.  Buffett is one of the most quotable people I’ve read, and it’s no wonder his success in music has really become the stuff of legends.  His honest take on life impresses me, and I aspire to see things in a similar fashion albeit in my own way.  

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Here are some of the best quotes I picked up:

"It is not my nature to ponder mortality but I try to make the best out of whatever time I am supposed to have here on the good old planet."

“An experienced traveler does not need a packaged tour to go places safely.”

“A good political speech does not need to make promises or antagonize the crowd.”

“A good mathematician does not need a computer to solve every problem.”

“A secure home does not have bolts and bars and locks and alarms everywhere, yet a burglar cannot get inside.”

"I think it is natural for some people to sit in BarcaLoungers and play it safe, while others strap themselves onto the tops of rocket ships and go out to defy gravity. It just depends on who you are and what makes you tick. I like the idea of being somewhere in the middle of those two parameters."

”...when you go off adventuring, part of the adventure is unpredictable. That is what really separates travelers from tourists. So many Americans traveling today want to take their America with them, and many of the places they go to cater to this desire at the expense of their history and culture."

"The thing you have to remember is that our parents were once young like us, or like we think we are. It's hard enough to accept the mileposts of aging. Grandparents are real old. Parents are old, and we, of course, will stay in our twenties for at least three decades."

“...my two sisters and I were cared for over the years by a series of loving black women --These women are part of who I am today.  Though they had distinctly different personalities, their influences on me are still there. They praised me when I was good and popped my ass when I was bad. They taught me to love soul food, James Brown, and Oreo cookies, but more importantly, they taught me not to fear or look down on their race."

“I have learned a few things about raising a family. First of all, I am no expert. Parenting is a learning experience. In a way, we are no more than good camp counselors.. guiding them through the woods. We do not own them or their thoughts. We can only influence them in the short time we have them, by our good or bad examples. I hope I have learned enough from the good and bad things that happened to me in my childhood to give my kids a shot at being caring and wise children of the late twentieth century with all of its wonder and fright."

"We humans seem to have a genetic trapping for grandiosity, and one has only to conjure up a few key words like Titanic, Hindenburg, and Spruce Goose to know that big things do break.

Our misguided superiority complex creates an illusion of domination over our creations, but eventually they all turn around and bite us on the ass, just to remind us that we aren't as smart as we think we are."

"Life does not come without risks. You learn to take them, or you stay home and watch life on

TV."

"The best way for an American to get around in the world is to not act like you saved it or own it."

"One of the great joys of having crisscrossed this country so much has been the opportunity to see and know new people and places.”

"The rewarding part of parenting is being able to share experiences with your children. The way I look at it, experience is still the best teacher.

There's plenty of time for my kids to adapt to whatever school situation they'll eventually find themselves in. But by the time they get there, they will have ridden elephants in Thailand, experienced G-forces in an airplane, learned to bait a hook and release a fish. And they will have swum neckie in a waterfall by the sea."

"One look out toward the beach tells the story.

Warm tropical breezes, hummingbirds buzzing around the sugar bowl, hibiscus blooms on the table, and sets of perfect five-foot waves breaking around a high point just offshore to the south of the hotel. It is the old fart surfer's dream: a four-star hotel with a perfect break all to ourselves.”

“Remember, living well is the best revenge."

"If deep water is the birthplace of a wave, then the beach is it's graveyard. I witness the spectacular death of several waves in showers of spray and blankets of white water. That's going out in style."

"So it's dance with me, dance with me, nautical wheelers

Take me to the stars that you know Come on and dance with me, dance with me, nautical wheelers I want so badly to go."

"Beg forgiveness, not permission."

- Dr. Kino Bachellier

"Life is a journey that's measured not in miles or years but in experiences, and the route your life takes is built not of roads but of songs. How far is it from Key West to Miami? To some it is 147 miles. To me, it is about 11 songs."

"One of my pet peeves is the indifference educators and students feel toward geography. It is small minds and small thinkers who don't consider anything outside of their neighborhood important.  We are all citizens of the world. You'd better come to terms with that concept or get ready to spend your life behind a fast food counter."

"The destination is not that rewarding if you have not had the experience of the journey.  My walkabout place cannot be yours. Your walkabout place cannot be somebody else's.  You have to find your own."

"Politicians can make all the speeches they want and governments can do all the public-service ads money can buy, but in the islands, the reality is this: If you want people to stop selling dope, they have to be able to make a living doing something else."

"Home is where you come from. It is not where you live at the present time, and though I doubt I will ever live in Alabama again. I will alwavs think of it as home."

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The book has some slow parts, but part of it felt like an exercise in patience to get to the true meaning of what he was trying to say.  I know I’ve posted these quotes before (and probably have more at that) but these ones hit me the hardest.  Good read.  Recommended.