Your LIfe's Philosophy Is Your Road Most Traveled

I found this small article in my Southern Miss Alumni newletter that I got today. It speaks volumes to me in a very simple way.

Here's what it says:

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Mary Loraine "Peets" Buffett had a simple yet meaningful philosophy that she imparted to her three children, Laurie, Lucy and one of The University of Southern Mississippi's most famous alumni, Jimmy.

The woman known as "Peets" to her family and friends, instructed her children to "learn to be a listener," to "live by the sea," and enjoy the company of others, because "love and family are the best things we have."

Today, scholarships in Peets' name help Mississippi women earn degrees at The University of Southern Mississippi. The scholarships, which are now managed by the Southern Miss Alumni Association, are awarded to incoming full-time female freshmen from the state of Mississippi demonstrating financial need and a minimum high school grade point average of 3.0.

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Now this is just another simple "human interest" story that seem to populate all college newsletters because they are scientifically meant to tug at our heart strings and inspire each of us to reach down to give. Money. Lots of money!!

Because let's face it - our Alma Maters love us for one thing only - GIVING MONEY!

But the way I look at life is that you can find those pearls of wisdom everywhere you look. Even as people institutionally attempt to pick your pocket.

I have been inspired by Ms. Peets for quite a long time anyway due to my kinship with the soul of Jimmy Buffet and his sister LuLu. And I think it's a great way to honor someone's memory by giving a gift that keeps on giving (and no, not like herpes you sick bastards).

But the wisdom of what I found in the newsletter is all about living life simply and to it's fullest.

I found Jimmy Buffet in the 9th grade thanks to my friend Alan Lovell who was a fanatical parrothead before there was such a thing. And even back then as I listened to Jimmy sing about the "Captain and the Kid" in the mid 70's I knew he was something special.

That was a song about his grandfather retiring to his momma's house after a life on the sea. How he had gone from "sailing ships to raking moms backyard" and I could feel the ache that not only the Captain felt by being ripped from the sea by the ravages of time - but also by the obvious worshipful nature that Jimmy felt towards his grandfather. The insight into real emotions was exhibited very early by Jimmy Buffet and it was so elemental that it spoke even to a 14 year old boy who was just looking for a place to smoke a Marlboro without being seen........

Those things are what life is about. Not the smoking part, but the elemental nature of emotion and the many ways it can be exhibited.

I listened to Jimmy sing about "Life is Just a Tire Swing" and he is singing about me and my life.

Or as I hear "The Pascagoula Run" because it tells my exact story with all the emotion that it brings forth in my heart. I mean seriously, that song is my story and I still feel it. Still today.

Yea, life is really that simple because it is about just a few important things that really matter.

And for Ms Peet (who shared that name with my beloved bigmomma - God rest her blessed soul) - well, her philosophy was spot on.

But it wasn't just philosophy - it was the way she lived her life and the way she imparted the importance of that to her children. And they in turn, imparted that to me and millions of others.

And that is truly a miracle. It's why we live and why we love.

Here's what she said:

1. Learn to be a listener. You can avoid all kinds of embarassment in life by not putting your foot in your mouth if you can just learn to listen instead of blathering on. And I truly belive that it is a learned trait because I think our nature is to talk and hear ourselves talk and to marvel at our immense mental acuity. Breathe and listen. You'll find patience in there that you have never seen before.

2. Live by the sea. That has always been a dream of mine because there is something mystical about the ocean waves that can not be replaced by anything else in the world. I truly feel that I belong on the bow of a ship. I have no idea where that comes from but I can tell you that it is elemental in my sould instead of experiential in my life.

3. Enjoy the company of others. Yep, our friends are the linchpins of our lives. They are what keeps us together and connected. They reflect who we are and to commune with them is to enrich our lives beyond anything we could ever buy, rent or find by luck. Nothing replaces true friendship. Nothing.

4. Love and family are the best things we have. I don't know what else I could possible add to that. For me, love is what makes me tick. Read the quote at the top of my blog banner and understand that I believe that so much - I put it there for all the world to see. And when you think of love, then family is the part that is built in for us to love the best. They are the ones that we have the history with that can't be duplicated anywhere else. And I truly believe that it's meant to work that way. Plus, in order to screw family relationships up, you really have to work at it.

So today, think about Ms. Peets and her philosophy and see if there is anything you find of value in it.

And then, most importantly, don't just treat it as nice zen-like philosophy...........just take a chance and live it. Because life is where the rubber meets the road. As the great philosopher Yoda once said, "There is no try - only do"!

You may find your reward will blow your mind.

I love you. If you're reading this, just know that I do love you.

Peace!!!