INSIGHT Magazine June 2017 | Page 10

so much they can’t slow down. He thinks of his life as a permanent vacation, but he’s outworking us all. I ask Jimmy about his affection for travel, much of which he does by piloting himself around the globe in one of his many air- craft. He became licensed to fly about thirty years ago, at forty years old, and it’s given him additional freedoms that even money and music alone can’t provide. "I have it good, I get to do all of this and go to all of these places. I can't even believe it myself sometimes” he tells me. When you listen to Buffett talk you re- ally understand that he’s truly the small town boy who lucked up and hit it big… although it’s evident his genius and drive 10 were the catalyst behind that so called luck. Though he was born in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and grew up around Mobile and Fairhope, Alabama, Jimmy has a real affection for an array of coastal settings. As many of his songs suggests, he loves Alabama and Florida. He has a house in Palm Beach, and one in Key West; a place that’s always been dear to him because that’s where his musical career and entre- preneurial ventures really took off. Buffett also spends lots of time in Long Island and Sag Harbor; other coasts he loves. Much of the winters he spends in St. Barts, saying, "I like it there and have actually done a lot of writing, especially the books, while holed up on that island.” I tell Jimmy it sounds like he has a little difficulty staying in one place June 2017 INSIGHT