Coastal Confessions

If you recall I was tagged earlier this week by Swampy for a meme. See the rules in Tuesday’s post below. I opted to use song title and lyrics. I love a well written song. I’m an old rock n’ roller, but I like artists who pen a well turned phrase, even if I don’t care for their voice or their musical style. I have an appreciation for folks like Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Alan Jackson, Rickie Lee Jones and Neil Young. Lordy, those folks can write good music. While most people tend to get lost in melodies, I lose myself in the lyrics. There is no denying I have a love affair with words.

I wrote a song last year and had a friend write the music for me. I loved hearing it come together and performed for me. One of my fantasies is to write a song and have it recorded by someone who sings professionally. Someday, maybe. So it was no surprise that song titles came to mind first when contemplating my approach to this meme. Since I’m a fan of Jimmy Buffett and all things tropical, I decided to go with a JB theme. After all, he’s one of the kings of songwriting. While many of his songs seem kind of silly at first, you’ll often find deep thoughts within the verses. The man is not just about cheeseburgers and cocktails. I’ve used one of Jimmy’s song titles for each category and some lyrics from that song to reflect something about me. I’m hopelessly, recklessly in love with his lyrics because they speak to my flip flop tappin’ feet and my Caribbean soul. So, sit back, grab a margarita and learn eight random things about me. Cue the steel drums, please.

1. Visual-Spatial-“A Pirate Looks at Forty”
Mother, mother ocean, I have heard you call
Wanted to sail upon your waters
since I was three feet tall.
You’ve seen it all, you’ve seen it all.
Have you figured out yet that I love the ocean and yearn to be near it more often?

2. Verbal-Linguistic-“Coastal Confessions”
They say that time is like a river
and stories are the key to the past
but now I’m stuck in between
here at my typing machine
tryin’ to come up with some words that will last.
I’d like to write a book one day. For now I’ll scribble on these pages.

3. Musical-Rhythmical-“They Don’t Dance Like Carmen No More”
She had a big hat. My, it was high
Had bananas and mangos all piled to the sky
And how she could balance them, I wouldn’t dare
‘Cause they don’t dance like Carmen nowhere.
This is one of my favorite Halloween costumes.

4. Bodily-Kinesthetic-“Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On”
According to my watch the time is now
Past is dead and gone
Don’t try to shake it just nod your head
Breathe in, Breathe out, move on.
My thoughts exactly. Shake it off and move forward.

5. Interpersonal-“The Wino and I Know”
Cause I’m livin’ on things that excite me,
Be they pastries or lobsters or love;
I’m just tryin’ to get by being quiet and shy,
In a world full of pushin’ and shove.
Well, I’m not quiet or shy, but I do search for quiet. I try to keep the pace easy in this hustle bustle world, while squeezing in a lot of excitement.

6. Intrapersonal-“Desperation Samba”
Don’t know where I’m going
Don’t like where I’ve been
There may be no exit
But hell I’m going in.
Life is too short to be afraid of trying new things, brothers and sisters. Join me in jumping in with both feet. For the list of things I have left to do, see my Bucket List.

7. Naturalistic-“Scarlet Begonias”
She had rings on her fingers and bells on her shoes
and I knew without askin’ she was into the blues.
She wore scarlet begonias trucked into her curls.
I knew right away she was not like other girls, other girls.
I’m generally not like other girls, and at this stage in life, I’m content with my uniqueness. I just don’t care if people like me because I like myself, and that’s enough.

8. Logical-Mathematical-“Changes in Latitudes”
Oh, yesterdays are over my shoulder,
So I can’t look back for too long.
There’s just too much to see waiting in front of me,
And I know that I just can’t go wrong.
There’s so much I want to see and so little time. I try not to waste my time swimming in waters that are underneath the bridge.