On our first date, my now-husband asked me, what is one thing I should know about you. I bravely proclaimed: I am a writer. I remember being proud of saying this. It was, for me, a vulnerable thing to admit. Still is.
I asked the same of him. Without hesitation, he said he was a “pretty big Jimmy Buffet fan.” This was the biggest understatement. At this point, I had maybe heard two Jimmy Buffett songs in my life. The guy with the blenders? He likes margaritas, right? At the time, I didn’t think much more of it. I didn’t know what a Parrothead was. I didn’t know the depth and breadth of Buffett’s work. And I definitely didn’t know how much Buffett was going to be a part of my family in the next twelve years.
I quickly learned being a Jimmy Buffett fan was a way of life. Not just a musician. When he said he was a Parrothead, he meant he had been to 17 concerts, had palm trees in his bachelor pad, and had memorized every single obscure song you could name. But it also means, beach mindset and an optimistic approach to life that embraces all of its joy.
Now, it is a lifestyle for us and our girls. I came to learn these songs through osmosis and soon had my own favorites. We played the song at our wedding where all of our friends danced in joy. We used the songs for lullabies for our girls to bring them peace at a day’s end.
It is the calm to the chaos. Moving forward, this is what we must embrace as teachers if we are going to survive and do more than “tread” water.
Shortly after his death, Buffett released “Bubbles Up.” And now, I have a new favorite. Knowing that he was facing a severe skin cancer diagnosis as he wrote this makes it all more powerful. In our house, this ballad has become a greeting, a salute, and a mantra.
When this world starts a-reelin’
From that pressure drop feelin’
We’re just treading water each day
There’s a way to feel better
Be well set to weather
The storms ’til the sun shines again
When your compass is spinnin’
And you’re lost on the way
Like a leaf in the wind, friend
Hear me when I say
Bubbles up
They will point you towards home
No matter how deep or how far you roam
They will show you the surface, the plot and the purpose
So, when the journеy gets long
Just know that you are loved
Thеre is light up above
And the joy is always enough
Bubbles up
It’s not about ignoring the bad. It’s recognizing it, acknowledging it, and still finding strength to move forward.
Take time to acknowledge where does your “world start a-reelin’, “when do you get the “pressure drop feelin’,” what does it mean and feel like to be “treading water each day.”
I’m not going to lie. This list is long. It is real. It is hard. It is important. And in the last few years, it seems more isolating, but I want to emphasize “seems” here. Outside forces are isolating us from each other, and we can’t let that happen. We know that when we are together – like this – we are our strongest.
To my friends who are jolly
When melancholy knocks
Sometimes they let her in
To sit and share stories
Of flops and of glories
It ain’t half as bad as the bends
Sometimes living’s a struggle
Multiplied double
But they love it too much
For the party to end
Bubbles up
They will point you towards home
No matter how deep or how far you roam
They will show you the surface
The plot and the purpose
So, when the journey gets long
Just know that you are loved
There is light up above
And joy, there is always enough
Bubbles up
Now, recognize your friends, colleagues, partners, administrators, coaches, mentors “who are jolly…to sit and share stories / of flops and of glories” Do they know this? When was the last time you told them? We must continue to lift each other up to do the work that is hard.
And there is joy. In these moments, these people, and these stories. Right now, someone is missing you at school. One kid is so excited for your return. You are valued and loved.
Bubbles up
They will point us towards home
No matter how deep or how far we roam
They will show you the surface
The plot and the purpose
So, when the journey gets long
Just know that you are loved
There is light up above
And joy – there is always enough
Bubbles up
Bubbles up
Bubbles up
What is your joy? What is your “plot and your purpose” in this most important work?
The journey is long. Longer for some of us than others. Know there is light above. We at ICTE want to be that light for you and with you. We want to connect with you to help you with your plot and your purpose in this path.
There is always enough joy. Bubbles up.
