My Gummie Just Kicked In

 “Just Thinking"

Age has a way of revealing life’s harder truths, its struggles, losses, and disappointments. The road we travel is paved with lose; friends, family, heroes, and missed opportunities. These are the tests we begin learning early in life. Over the past few months, I’ve watched my grandson take his first steps, and in his small journey, I have witnessed life’s biggest lessons.

At first, he propped himself up, let go, wobbled in place, then reached out to steady himself to keep from falling. Soon, those shaky moments turned into a few unsure steps before a tumble, then a few more steps before another fall. Gradually, there were more steps than falls. Each time he went down, he got back up and walking on, stronger and more confident. Life is much the same, we all stumble, we all face setbacks. the choice that we make when we fall defines us, stay down, or get up and keep moving forward. As Lou Holtz once said, show me someone who has done something worthwhile, and I’ll show you someone who has overcome adversity.

There’s a scene in the 1989 movie Parenthood that I have misquoted for years. Steve Martin’s character is feeling overwhelmed by the chaos of family life when his wife’s grandmother tells a story that at first seems out of place in the madness. She says, when I was nineteen, Grandpa took me on a roller coaster. First it climbed, up, up, up, then it plunged. It was thrilling, a challenge. I always wanted to ride it again. Life is like that. Some people prefer the merry-go-round, it just goes in circles, nothing changes. But me? I like the roller coaster. You get more out of it. At first, Martin’s character rolls his eyes, but by the end, he understands. The ride is what makes life exciting, you can’t have the ups without the downs. In the end, life will always be part stumble, part thrill, part climb, and part plunge. We can choose the safe, steady merry-go-round, or we can embrace the roller coaster, falls and all and keep getting back up for another ride.


I heard a funny story the other day about a Jimmy Buffett song, that came out after his tragic death last year, My Gummie Just Kicked In. I hadn’t heard the song but have since checked out. As most of you know I have been a Parrot Head for over 50 years, seeing my first Buffett concert when I was 19 at the Greek Theater in Berkely, followed by a trip to Tower Record to buy the Cheeseburger in Paradise album.

Jimmy Buffett co-wrote the song after a real-life moment that happened at a dinner party he attended with his wife Jane, Paul McCartney and his wife Nancy Shevell. As Nancy was walking to the table, she stumbled, and when Buffett checked to see if she was alright, she nonchalantly replied, Oh, no, I’m fine. My gummie just kicked in! Her spontaneous line sparked laughter and Buffett and McCartney joked that it would make a great song. They followed through in the studio, turning the moment into a lighthearted, surf‑rock song about the effects of a cannabis edible. Paul McCartney even plays bass on the recording. Don't know where I'm going, don't know where I've been, all I know for certain is my gummie just kicked in.

  • Remember what Winston Churchill said, if you’re going through hell, keep going.
  • Life throws you curveballs, keep on swinging.
  • Steel sharpens steel.

Let me know what you think.

@ChuckBarberini - #ChuckBarberiniRealEstate - @ChuckBarberiniRealEstate

@Golden_State_Guide_Service - @Citizen.Number.One


Location: Martinez, CA 94553, USA

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