F is for France

 

Eating the Last Mango in Paris

 Before leaving on our trip backpacking around Europe, my friend and I made a list of all the things we wanted to do while there. Highest among them was eating a mango in front of the Eiffel Tower.  You see, we were Parrot Heads.  For those of you who don’t know, that means we were and still are, very big fans of Jimmy Buffett. 

 Jimmy wrote an incredible song called, The Last Mango In Paris. Towards the end of the song there is one particular lyric that has always inspired me to keep going and seeing and doing. The ‘legend’ in the song says, “Jimmy, there’s still so much to be done.”  It reminds me that we are never finished exploring. There is always something more to learn, discover, and search out.

 Finally in Paris, we bought a mango at a corner market and headed toward the Eiffel Tower.  We sat in the lengthy lawn that spreads in front of the tower where tourists from all over the world stand to take pictures.  My friend used her Swiss army knife, another nod to the song, and began to slice the mango. We asked someone to take our picture eating the mango.  We hoped that a true Parrot Head would see the Eiffel Tower and the mango pieces in our hands in the photo and get the reference to the song. We even entertained the idea of sending it to Jimmy, though we never did.

 The picture is still framed and hanging on my apartment wall.  It reminds me every day never to stop seeking, always to be wandering. It’s been 16 years since I ate that mango and I’ve not stopped because I know there is still so much to be done.