At 85, he's still slinging truck tires
Happy Friday, friends! This is Tennessean storytelling columnist Brad Schmitt with some feel-good stories to whip you into the weekend.
What's making me feel good? I'm rushing to finish this newsletter to get to the Wilson County Fair Thursday for opening night! My apologies for those of you going tonight — there's an excellent chance I'll have wiped out the fair's funnel cake supply. 😋
Here's the Good News for this week:
60 years of slinging truck tires
I love this tribute from my buddy Christopher "Freight Train" Floyd, a singer/songwriter/musician/photographer who also drives a truck. #RenaissanceMan
"This is my friend Tom. Last Monday, my boss sent me to get two steer tires put on the Volvo road tractor. I went to Bestway Tire, and Tom installed them," Chris posted on Facebook.
"Tom is 85 years old ... I can tell you, mounting and dismounting semi truck tires and wheels is crazy hard work, I know, I've done it. Tom is amazing, and I was proud to meet him!"
I swung by Best Way Truck Tire Service just south of downtown Nashville on Wednesday and met Tom's daughter, Marilyn Dalton, who works at the shop. She said her daddy has owned it since the 1970s and has been working hard for years before that.
What's his secret?
"Good bones," she said, before adding with a smile, "and good genes!"
Nashville Music Medics heal through song
OK, they're not doctors and very few actually work in the medical field. But the Nashville Music Medics sure do bring a lot of healing by singing some ah-MAZING a cappella songs in hospitals and hospices. Their harmonies are spot on and the energy is incredible.
I got to tag along Wednesday as the troupe — all older professional dudes, most of them retired — slapped on their signature blue scrubs and hit Alive Hospice in Nashville.
I found this outing particularly moving, as their first patient — 78-year-old Anita Corwin of Goodlettsville — was unresponsive after having a stroke earlier in the week. The guys brought lots of joy to Anita's son, daughter and granddaughter.
Anita's daughter, Tamie Moshier of Goodlettsville, smiled during the entire three-song performance.
"I loved every minute of it," she said. "It made me happy and not so sad being in hospice."
"I'm overwhelmed by it," her son, Greg Corwin, a mechanic from MIllersville, said with a huge smile on his face. "It lifts the spirits of those who are grieving right now."
As for his mother, "I think she absorbed some of it through her subconscious," Greg said. "I'm sure she liked it as well."
Troupe leader G. Wayne Jackson said the singers get more out of it than the patients for whom they sing.
"It’s joy, pure joy, because we know we’ve done something good, and we’re part of something special," he said.
Tell me something good!
This is my favorite part of the newsletter, where I turn it over to you to tell me something awesome that's happened with you in the past week. Wanna tell me something good? Please email me at brad@tennessean.com.
► Reunited and it feels so good
"Within the last week, I've had the pleasure of visiting two college friends and one of my college professors. Reminiscing and laughing with old friends is good for the soul."
— Mark Bond, 57, Franklin, retired
► Whoa, this dude is bringing it real
"I was able to support my ex-girlfriend — without being selfish — in some struggles she's having. I was able to navigate that hard situation with grace, something in the past I have handled poorly."
— John Perry, 32, West Nashville, sales manager
► Canoeing on the Caney Fork River
"Spent the day kayaking the Caney Fork River with family and friends. It was the first low-humidity day in weeks, and it felt GREAT!!"
— Andy White, 52, Mount Juliet, nonprofit agency director
Your friends want some Good News?
I would love to hear from you, friends. I'll bet you know someone special at work or home or at your school who does amazing things for others. Email me please, and tell me all about them!
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Hope you have an awesome week filled with good news — and funnel cake!