By Tim Kearns

As I have said before, as a young man, I was pretty much a Neanderthal! I was a grass cutting, ditch digging, truck driving, goofy old redneck guy. It was because of a blind date on August 5th, 1981 that my life would change forever. She was a stunning blonde, attending college to be an Interior Designer, that caught my full attention and everlasting love. She was smart, talented, educated and beautiful inside and out; and as most of my friends would tell me for the next thirty-five years and counting, “was waaay out of my league.”

Unlike my previous dating experience, my goal was to impress her like I have never impressed anyone before. This would require stepping outside my comfort zone to explore a world outside of honky tonks, fishing, jeans and flannel shirts; engaging in something she could relate to and find interesting. One of the first events I attended with her was a fashion show at the American College for the Applied Arts. She was a model in a show from a Hollywood collection designed by William Travilla.  She wore Marilyn Monroe’s red dress from the movie “The River of No Return” among various others, and I loved the experience! She enjoyed art galleries and I came to learn that she had an amazing talent for art of her own.  She had skills in drawing, painting with oils, making clothes, draperies, and creating design boards for interior design school that had me awestruck. I was introduced to many aspects of a world that I didn’t even know existed! This will sound cliché, but she made me want to be a better man! Yeah, I said it!

Pretty quickly, we found a great harmony in our relationship. One of the things I didn’t mention is that she also represented the state of Georgia in the National Horticulture Competition while in High School...so we also had a love of nature in common! Hikes in the woods and picnics in a field were as commonplace as trips to nice restaurants and art galleries.  My taste in music, food, wine, travel and an appreciation in art were all being influenced by a woman I was determined to make my wife. Fast forward thirty-five years; in her talented way, she created a better man out of the Neanderthal she started with. Because of her, I’m much closer to a Southern Gentleman today than that August day in 1981 when we first met. 

I have now grown to appreciate finer things.  I enjoy traveling to other countries, learning about other cultures, and have a greater appreciation for interior design, furniture and colors. I love the way she sees a color and describes it. To me, it’s just a shade of red or blue, but from an artist’s perspective, she can make it sound so much more interesting.  Bess now periodically participates in the Franklin Art Crawl, and I enjoy the pride she has when someone takes one of her works of art home and visits her at a later show to describe where they displayed it.  When she isn’t participating herself, we wander from store to store taking in the other artisans and appreciating the skill they all have.  We enjoy dressing up and attending many of the events Williamson County has to offer; A Vintage Affair, the Heritage Ball, Legacy Dinner at Carnton along with others. I enjoy sharing meals paired with a great bottle of wine at many of the quality restaurants we have dined in from Chattanooga to Memphis.

I’m still the guy who cuts his own grass and does his own landscaping.  I enjoy smoking a bbq butt or ribs and building a fire on the deck in the fall. But if the opportunity comes up to see a great exhibit at the Frist or Bess wants to see someone perform at the Schermerhorn, I’ll be quick to put on a jacket and tie, pick a pocket square to match and off we go! A Southern Gentleman can come in many forms and have many interests. However, it helps if you appreciate something that is new, unique and outside of your norm.  Show your significant other that you are willing to grow and learn. I want to thank my wife for her patience in my development.  Don’t be the stubborn, rusty nut stuck on a bolt; appreciate and take advantage of the learning opportunities that Williamson County or beyond has to offer; it’s a big world out there!