Driving Mr. Thomas

The universe works in mysterious ways. The universe closed its eyes and extended the fickle finger of fate over a long list of Prime driver names. Eyes closed, finger circling, the universal finger of fate descended upon my name. At driver line-up, it was Larry Bowman’s finger guided by the universe that actually called me into service, which proves the universe really does work in mysterious ways.

The request for a favor was handed down from Larry to John who was at the controls during the long holiday weekend covering for my Fleet Manager Rolland Kendall, and the request for a favor rolled all the way down hill and fell into my lap.

The favor asked by dispatch was to transport a Mr. Pete Thomas to the Detroit, Michigan area. As fate would have it, I had just picked up a load in Russellville, Arkansas and was bound for Warren, Michigan. I received little to no details about Mr. Thomas or why they needed me of all people to take him to Michigan. I asked John how I had been selected out of thousands of Prime drivers. I said, “What? Am I the only driver going to Michigan?” The answer was lost in the can you hear me now twilight zone of lost signals.

I spoke to Larry briefly en-route to the terminal; that’s how I knew of Pete and his connection to the NBC show and his reason for being at the company picnic. Larry had told me to “Make sure your truck is clean” which caused me to laugh, and if you knew me, then you would be laughing, too. If there were a show for “The World’s Most Obsessive Cleaner”, I would win it hands down. I sent dispatch a message via QC and gave them my new plan that would divert me to Springfield with an ETA attached and agreed to take their “VIP” safely and securely to Michigan.

The next thing I did was search “Pete Thomas” on Facebook. Pete was the winner of NBC’s season 2 “Biggest Loser.” I have, of course like you, heard of this program, but I for one never watched it. I am not a fan of “reality” shows. I arrived to the terminal the morning after the picnic, on a bright beautiful clear blue day full of apprehension about this “favor” I was about to indulge.

Pete arrived via Prime Security from the Ramada Oasis  like a true VIP. After a whirlwind tour of the Prime terminal, we ate a healthy breakfast. Well, actually only Pete and Larry ate healthy; I had the heart attack triple cheese 3 egg omelets and a smoke. After breakfast, we boarded the “Mother Ship” and departed.

Over the next 30 hours, I came to know Pete as one can best know someone in that short of time. Pete was very open and gracious and told me of his personal journey to becoming a world-class “Loser”. The more I learned about his personal journey of hardships as a child and his long road to attending the University of Michigan and the circumstances that led him to winning NBC’s “The Biggest Loser”, the more I respected the value of a “reality” show such as Biggest Loser. Pete and I have very similar backgrounds, and I empathized with his struggle and his success.

It was a great trip and I left Pete in the parking lot of a Home Depot in Livonia, Michigan on Eight Mile Road in the loving care of his beautiful and graceful fiancée Carole.

In our short time together, I learned many things from Pete, and I want to share a few of his thoughts and feelings about personal success and losing weight.

• Ask not to be famous, seek personal greatness. Seek to be the absolute best you that you can be.
• If you want to lose weight, you must work hard for it; it takes drive and desire to perspire enough to become a world-class “Loser.”
• Losing is only half the battle; maintaining your diet and exercise vigil is the fight you fight every day.
• Eat healthy; stay away as much as possible from salt and sugar and sodas.
• Education is important to personal growth. Never stop learning.
• Follow the Word of God, whatever that may mean or be to you.
• And last, NEVER QUIT! Never ever stop starting a new health regimen.

If you are struggling with your weight or other personal issues then I want to tell you something, you should look to a proven winner like Pete Thomas. Pete has been there, I mean really been there, and I can tell you that he is the real deal. I found him to be genuine, warm, intelligent, sensitive and caring.

On a more personal note, I found Pete to be a glutton for punishment because he endured my barrage of stories and endless observations about life, but that’s the kind of guy Pete is. On a positive note, Pete really loved my truck and especially his bunk that I had prepared for him with my spare set of 600 thread count Damascus stripe Egyptian cotton sheets and a handmade Amish quilt. Pete loved my new wall-to-wall carpet and my very clean truck. Yes I had a spare set of sheets, as I told Pete, “Two is one, and one is none.”

Pete loved that. Driving Mr. Thomas has changed my life in a most profound and positive way. I learned that we are not alone, and we can do whatever we set your mind to. Pete has inspired me to be a better person and fight harder with my day to day struggles. Fortunately, I only struggle with weight somewhere in the five to seven pound range, but I may be headed to the edge of the cliff of high blood pressure so here I am with a fridge full of low fat yogurt, beef sticks, and some fresh fruit, and I bought Mio Fit water enhancer last night. I will be exercising more and cutting out salt and sodas and sugars as much as I can and follow through with my plan. “Driving Mr. Thomas” turned out to be a blessing in disguise. You can get free tips and secrets from Pete by joining TEAMPete at www.PeteThomas.com/TeamPete and LIKE him on Facebook www.FaceBook.com/PeteThomas to get help walking the walk.

Thanks for the memory Pete.

Sincerely, Karl Wiggins

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