The Reasons: An Addendum

Even casual readers of Bermuda Shorts know of my great affinity for the island. Back in March I posted my top ten reasons why living in Bermuda is so darn delightful—things like lobster season, the prevalence of Dark n Stormy’s, the opportunity to grow a winter beard. Ya know, the basics. Well my friends, consider this an addendum to my original list, because living in Bermuda would not be the same without the one and only Johnny Barnes. You see, Johnny is a living legend here in Bermuda: Every morning between 8am and 10am, the 86-year-old gray-bearded Bermudian greets morning traffic entering the City of Hamilton with a kiss and wave. “I love ya, I love ya, I love ya,” he says with all sincerity as he blows kisses into the air. It’s astounding. Every morning like clockwork there’s Johnny, greeting commuters like it’s his job. He’s so beloved that Bermuda has even erected a bronze statue in his honor down the road from where he stands each morning—a phenomenon that still blows my mind (don't you have to be a Communist dictator to have a statue erected in your honor while you're still living?). I mean the guy even has his own Wikipedia page for goodness sake. And apparently I’m not the only one who knows what an impact Johnny has on daily life in Bermuda. According to Bernews, director Matt Morris is searching for locals to interview for his new film about Johnny titled “Mr. Happy Man.” Watch the short trailer above and try not to get excited for the upcoming documentary. So to you Johnny, I say three cheers! Thanks for making Bermuda such a wonderful place to call home.