WACKY WEDNESDAY WISDOM: If Street Sweepers Can Smile Then I've Got No Right To Feel Upset

I was partially awake when my phone dinged at 5 a.m. recently with a text from my oldest son. One of our favorites had died earlier that night. I knew Jimmy Buffett had experienced some recent health issues, but his passing caught me off guard. He was 76. If, as he claimed, he was "living and dying in 3/4 time", then I guess he was 100. My son and I had talked about attending one of Jimmy's concerts together at some point, but that's no longer a possibility. The closest we came was a pre-game shindig before a Pittsburgh Pirates baseball game when a Jimmy Buffett impersonator (he looked and sounded amazingly like Buffett) performed before a raucous, tropically clad bunch of Parrotheads outside the stadium. I got my picture made with the impersonator as well as a few silly poses with my son. I have found me a home in North Carolina but our Pittsburgh excursion remains a blissful memory. Some of you reading this may have already raised an eyebrow wondering how a tropical party hearty like Jimmy Buffett could be the main subject of a devotion column. I get it. I debated whether to write this. Bubba (Jimmy's nickname) was no saint. Some of his songs were at best inappropriate and at worst, vulgar. He made it clear he was not a Believer. Never did it appear that using his incredible talents for the glory of his Creator was a goal of his and he had no use for religion. (Note: If religion is believing that we achieve salvation by obsessively following all the institutional religious rules imposed upon us instead of trusting in God's Grace, then I have no use for religion, either). But God can use anyone for His purposes. He did it quite often in the Bible and I'm sure He does it now. For starters, JB's music was the impetus for several bonding experiences for me and my wife as well as each of my three sons. On our first official date, my girlfriend (future wife) and I attended a Buffett concert at the Carowinds Paladium near Charlotte. We wore matching shirts and sang along with Jimmy as he serenaded his rabid fans: a cult-like set of followers known as Parrotheads, whose loyalty sustained Buffett through many years when none of his songs were making the charts. Each of my boys had a favorite Buffett song or two that we could sing along with as father and son. On Saturday, the day of his passing, I knew my boys knew a part of us would never be the same. I also knew that come Monday it would be all right, because life goes on and we still have the memories. The aforementioned oldest son often had trouble going to sleep as an infant. As a remedy I quietly strummed my guitar and softly sang Buffett’s “Little Miss Magic” to entice the child to close his eyes. Within a few minutes he went to Paris or wherever babies go when they’re chasing dreamsicles and such in their tiny minds. Even though I changed the lyrics to be appropriate for an infant boy, JB’s tribute to his baby girl provided some special moments in the Stroupe household during those times that will always be special. I had enjoyed a number of Buffett songs growing up and during my early college years but my first step to becoming a Parrothead occurred in the summer of 1984 when I was twenty and fresh off completing my sophomore year in college. I was still undecided on a major and my future career path was uncertain at that point. It was unsettling to say the least and I felt like I was stranded on a sandbar. A friend where I was working as a camp counselor had copies of every Buffett album ever and that's all we listened to all summer long. I'm not recommending you add all of Jimmy's music to your playlist, but if you want to sample just one, I have a recommendation. It's not "Margaritaville", nor is it "Come Monday" or "Changes in Attitude"- those had their moment in the spotlight. Like many of Buffett’s best offerings, the song I’m recommending was not a blockbuster. It peaked at #57 on the pop charts and recently an oblivious Parrothead columnist ranked it #240 on his list of favorite JB songs. I became familiar with what is now my favorite Buffett tune that fateful summer and I remember thinking that I wanted my life to be like that song. It's called "It's My Job" and in it Buffett describes encountering a street sweeper late one night who is cheerfully doing his job with a smile. When asked why he is so happy, the street sweeper replies that it is his job to be the best street sweeper he can be and that fact alone is enough reason for him to keep going. Buffett compared the street sweeper's attitude to a wealthy uncle of his who owned a bank but was miserable. Though Jimmy didn't intend to make a spiritual point, the song reminded me then and reminds me now of the wisdom in Colossians 3:23 that tells us to "work at whatever you do with all your heart, as if working for the Lord." And by doing so, you will reap the rewards of satisfaction and contentment that come from recognizing purpose and meaning in everything you do. I decided in the summer of ‘84 that whatever I chose to do with my future would not be financially motivated but rather would be intrinsically motivated. I would work for the Lord and trust Him to take care of my needs along the way. By the end of the summer, I knew I wanted to be a teacher and a coach. I had been warned that teaching and coaching dulled in comparison to most other professions financially, but nonetheless I would choose to make a difference in the lives of others through the field of education. And if I wasn’t destined to become rich, that was okay. As Jimmy says in the song, "If street sweepers can smile then I have no right to feel upset". I am not God so I don't know where Jimmy Buffett's change in latitude transported him in the moments after his passing. He may be incommunicado now but I know the rhymes he rhymed, the writings he wrote, the songs he sang, and the philosophies he philosophized, made a difference in at least some of our lives. And regardless of which particular harbor Jimmy Buffett is spending eternity in, I believe God used at least some of his talents to influence people positively. A few hours after learning of Jimmy Buffett's passing, I headed out on a fulfilling adventure with my youngest son that ended with us enjoying a meal together. I wished lunch could last forever but ultimately we parted ways and I set out for home in my truck with a rather long drive ahead of me. I listened to "It's My Job" over and over again as I drove, belting out as loud as possible the lyrics from the song I've known by heart for so many years now. And the words still hit home. Be the best you can be at what you're doing and your cheerful optimism will inspire others. Thanks for the memories, Jimmy, we’ll miss you so badly but it’s been a lovely cruise. I don't know your eternal fate, but my hope is that somewhere out there, that Caribbean soul you could barely control is enjoying its very own special cheeseburger in paradise.