It took her three days on the train.
Lookin' for some peace and quiet;
hoped to see the sun again.
But now she lives down by the ocean.
She's takin' care to look for sharks.
They hang out in the local bars,
And they feed right after dark.
-"Fins" by Jimmy Buffett
I've always been amused by this well-known ditty by legendary singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. Maybe because the heroine is from Cincinnati; a lady who decides to go and live by the Ocean. Always traveling, always looking for something new and wanting to see the waves. What she finds, though, are sharks. "You got fins to the left, fins to the right," Buffet sings.
I can relate to that sometimes.
So imagine my surprise when my friend Jen O. gifted me with this precious little memento of our time working together.
I'm really tickled by this little sharky, because Jen O's famous Pièce de résistance was an enormous 5-foot long Papier-mâché shark that she bound to the top of her Honda and drove to Jimmy Buffet concerts. Once, her great shark, draped in leis and surrounded by tropical fruit, became the centerpiece of a staff luau we had one summer on the garden terrace.
Some people know Jen as a very quiet, slightly shy person. But I know her easy laughter and incurable sense of fun. She is also incredibly creative in her everyday life.
I love it that my shark holds a camera and a globe. My obsessions with traveling and capturing the moment are referenced. Not only did Jen make this world-traveler shark for me, but all of the folks she worked closely with at our past employer got one too -- each one customized for the person who received the gift. Now that is something special.
To Jen: I wish you good luck and many great adventures in the Rockies and wherever your travels take you. With or without the shark I won't forget you, count on that.
And you always know you have friends here by the Chesapeake Bay, if ever you decide to "go where it's warm."
