I spent several decades of my life doing what people do … working hard, earning money and purchasing the things that money can buy. I was even able to retire at an early age. Then one day my life changed ... and changed more than I could EVER imagine.

November 23, 2001 began as an ordinary day. I woke up at 9 am in my Virginia Beach, VA home. I walked into my kitchen, like I had every morning for the past 5+ years. However, this morning was different. This morning I found myself facing the "vision" that would push me to the next phase of my life.

The "vision", was simply a sink full of dirty dishes. The dishes were sitting in what was once soapy water from the night before. But now, it was just cold water, with a spaghetti sauce ring clinging to the four sides of the sink. I lifted my head slowly up, and looked out the bay window. On the other side of the glass, was a yard with grass that needed to be cut. My head sank, and my chin came to rest on my chest, at which time, I again gave notice to the spaghetti water. I turned my head to the right, in order to avoid looking at those damn dirty dishes and out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the dog bowl ... it was empty.

With a sigh of frustration, I turned my head back to the dirty dishes and it came to me … "I don't own anything – it all owns me!" The dishes own me, I have to clean them! The grass owns me, I have to cut it! The dog owns me, I have to feed it!

Then I snapped. The voice in my head said, "I gotta get outta here!" I then went upstairs, grabbed my shaving kit, walked out the front door of my house, got in my 1991 VW EuroVan Camper and drove off. I didn't know where I was going. I drove for about 8 hours until I pulled over in Savannah, GA, where I spent the night. Savannah still wasn't far enough so I drove again until I ended up in Coco Beach, FL, where I spent the 2nd night.

The next morning, I knew where I was headed … Key West! That night, I pulled into Jabour's Campground on the west end of Key West. Key West is a place I had visited before, but this time it was different. This time I wasn't traveling "to" Key West, I was running "from" my life. I eventually spent two weeks in Key West. To this day, those two weeks changed my life like no other single event in my life.

The lessons I learned are not just for me, but for all to learn a little from.

We think we "can't" stop what we are doing and play, when in reality we are just saying we "won't" stop and play. In my workaholic days, I would play for two hours and then regret the work I could have accomplished in the two hours I slacked off. We schedule our work time each and every day, so why can't we schedule play time too? Schools want the kids to study longer and harder … no more study hall or recess periods like in the past. Employers want you to work through lunch, never take a sick day, and then they moan when it is time for you to take a lousy 5 day yearly vacation.

We have to take care of our homes, our cars, our checkbook, our pets, and it goes on. We may get pleasure from these things, but at a cost. The cost is our time and our well-being. The stress of maintaining and caring for the "things" that money buys is a full time job. I am retired and I have no free time ... the things I own consume my time. I don't even know how I had time to have a job.

People in Key West "live to play", which is unlike the parts of the world I have lived in, where people "live to work." I like the story a shop owner on Duval Street told me. She said, hiring someone in Key West was unlike hiring someone anywhere else she knew of. When she put an ad in the paper seeking an employee, she would be interviewed rather than her doing the interview. She said, a person came in one day in response to a newspaper ad she placed and he started right off with, " You need to know right up front, I don't work more than 4 days per week, I don't work more than 4 hours per day, and if I don't want to come in, I won't!"

She asked me, "Do you know what I told him?" With the mind of a workaholic, I thought "this is gonna be good," but I replied "no" with the smirk of a workaholic. The only thing is I never would have imagined what she told him. She said, "okay, you're hired!" With an astonished look on my face, I almost fell out of my chair. She informed me "it was the best offer I had for the ad I placed … I feel lucky to have someone even apply". Little did I know, I still had lessons to learn

One interesting character I met, was this "Got A Problem With That? Ron" fellow, who worked at Jabour's campground I was staying at. "Got A Problem With That? Ron" confirmed the "spirit" of Key West with his words of wisdom one day ... "Do you know how to succeed in Key West?" I replied, "No Ron, how do I succeed in Key West?" "Got A Problem With That? Ron" replied in a very confident and all-knowing voice with a simple "Show Up! ... Go to the pawn shop, buy yourself a box of tools, and show up! The problem in Key West is, people don't show up." I thought, "duh ... everybody knows that."

A few days later, "Got A Problem With That? Ron" came to me and looked a little down. He said, "The boss is mad with me. I didn't show up for work for 3 days." I looked at him, a little puzzled, and replied, "Let me get this straight Ron. You WORK at the campground, right? He replied "yes." I then asked, "You LIVE at the campground, right?" He replied "yes." How can you not show up?" His simple reply was, "Yeah, I know."

Interestingly, "Got A Problem With That? Ron" did not lose his job and was doing his thing as if he never missed a day. His world was not wrapped up in collecting "things" like a lot of us do. "Got A Problem With That? Ron" just wanted to have a good time and work just long enough to allow himself to have another good time. As I would learn over the next week or so, "Got A Problem With That? Ron" was the norm, rather than the exception.

We always plan on having a good time "tomorrow", as soon as we get the grass cut, the dog fed, and the dishes washed. "Got A Problem With That? Ron" has no grass to cut, no dog to feed, and probably very few dishes to wash.

We, the working masses have been trained to "own" things. We buy books (many of which we don't even read), when we can get them for free from the library. We buy videos and music CD's, when we can often borrow them from the library or rent them from a video store. The things we buy just sit and collect dust which we have to clean off. I now say, "let the library dust them off and protect them from water, fire, and theft." We install swimming pools in our yard that we have to maintain and work to pay for. We purchase boats that cost us more of our freedom than pleasure. Why do we choose to collect things that take the little free time we have from work, only to make more work for us?

In closing, you may want to know why I call Ron, "Got A Problem With That? Ron". If not, stop here, but for those who do, here is the answer. Every time, and I mean every time, Ron would suggest something to me, he would always say, "Got A Problem With That?" "Let's get a cup of coffee ... got a problem with that?" "Let's go to Mallory Square ... got a problem with that?" "I'm gonna crash for the night ... got a problem with that?" Also, as he questioned me, he would tap me on my right shoulder each and every time. "Got A Problem With That? Ron" was just one of the many unique and delightful characters of Key West I have had the pleasure to meet.

Written March, 2004 ...
Today, I am slowly (very slowly) downsizing my "possessions of life" by selling, donating, or trashing the objects I have collected over all these years. I have found, all that really matters is people! I really like people, and want to meet many more of them.

I believe, 2004 will be the year I attend all the Party Events possible. I will meet people along the way. I will share the people and experiences on this web site. I don’t want the web site to "own" me, so it will be casual and fun.

I will share both my good times of the past and the present. I will attempt to take advantage of my "freedom" from the work force, and learn how to have fun. I know how to work real hard without real fun. Now, I am learning to have fun without so much work. Sounds easy when I say it and write it, but I know FUN does not come naturally for myself. I was taught to work, and fun was counter-productive to work, so it will be a process. The good news is I’m gettin’ better at having fun day-by-day!

Written July, 2006 ...
Since 2004, I have attended numerous events. I have personally met 100's of great people, and have slowly become "owned" by the PartyReptile.com website (which I started in 2004). I have met beach people, redneck people, big city people, old people, young people, people from the North, East, South, and the West. I have people that like me, and people that want to kick my ass ... and I have no regrets!

After years of "fun-training", I am proud to say I have learned to feel guilty about working and not playing, rather than playing and not working. I think I'm heading in the right direction ... after all, the only day that counts is TODAY! I can't change yesterday (hell, I can't even remember most it), and I can't count on tomorrow being there, so I've learned to enjoy the moment ... with the people I'm with.