| Are you one of those people that smiles at strangers? | | | | week, from 5am to 10am since 1983! |
| Do you chat to the person next to you in the | | | | He stands at the Crow Lane roundabout outside of |
| supermarket queue - not about the price of eggs or | | | | Hamilton waving and calling "Good Morning" and "God |
| the latest disaster news, but 'happy chat'? | | | | bless you" and, more importantly, smiling at everyone. |
| In many parts of the world talking to strangers is | | | | Mr Feel Good He's known to the locals as "Mr Feel |
| natural and part of the culture but in big cities, | | | | Good" or "Happy Man". |
| particularly, it can be seen as downright loony. I was on | | | | "People need to know that love is important. The world |
| a train in London, England a while back with around 10 | | | | is made for love" he tells tourists and visitors who |
| people in our compartment. As I boarded and took my | | | | brave the traffic to have a chat with him or take his |
| seat I looked around me to catch the eye of anyone | | | | photograph. He learned that lesson from his parents |
| who wanted a chat and smiled at the only other | | | | who came from the West Indian island of St Kitts. "My |
| person in the carriage who was making eye contact. | | | | Mother taught me to love everyone and to be kind to |
| He said "You're not from around here are you?" This | | | | all" he says "Each of us has a part of God in himself" |
| was not a reference to the color of my skin or some | | | | The Bermudians thought he was nuts at first but they |
| other distinguishing feature. It was just because I had | | | | have come to admire him as "the spirit of Bermuda". |
| smiled! | | | | He missed one day when he had a routine visit to |
| They're not used to that on commuter trains in London. | | | | hospital. People began calling one another frantically |
| I must admit I do attract some suspicion because of | | | | wondering where he was; such was his fame and |
| my natural tendency to wish to communicate with a | | | | appeal. They realized that he was an important part of |
| smile. | | | | their culture - so important that a statue has been |
| Johnny | | | | erected to honor his contribution to the lives of his |
| There's one man on the planet who just didn't care | | | | countrymen and visitors. |
| what anyone thought of him. A quarter of a century | | | | A Better Way |
| ago at age 60 he was driving from his work as a as a | | | | Can you think of a better way to live your life than |
| driver and repairman when he had what he calls an | | | | benefiting others? There may be hundreds of methods |
| "epiphany". He decided to stop at a roundabout and | | | | to achieve that end but happiness is just means giving |
| wave to the passers-by to send them love and | | | | love love and just smiling at strangers to make their |
| happiness for their day ahead. Johnny Barnes has | | | | day is a great way to start. Go on, give it a try; beam |
| been waving at passers-by every morning, 5 days a | | | | your ray of sunshine on to those around you today. |