INTRODUCTION

I love to tell stories about lessons that I have learned over the past 60 years. A couple of years ago I began to write them down and circulate them to friends for feedback. I decided to put them in a book of short stories that will hopefully help people navigate the inherent chaos that is life.

Some of the stories are original and some are taken from other stories that I have been told. The central theme through all of the stories are:

Be inspired on a daily basis; Do your best; Do the right thing; Think outside of the box; Be proud of your country; Family is important; Helping others is a privilege

Many of the stories center around family and friends. I have been blessed with a loving family that spans several generations. I have many friends that go back over 60 years. I have been a lucky guy and I wanted to share some stories that have been part of that luck.

I selected the title to honor my father, Dave Mayer. Simply put, he was a great guy, a tremendous father and husband, and incredibly tough. I watched him suffer through 28 years of fighting 6 different types of cancer —never complaining and always willing to help others. The title of this book, “The Toughest Guy I Ever Knew And Other Short Stories”, is a small tribute to the man who gave me so much.

I am dedicating the book to my nephew, Charlie Mayer, who was tragically killed in an accident when he was 13 years old. Charlie was the type of kid who was loved by his friends, brought a smile to everyone he met, always protected the underdog, and left a huge void in the life of his family.

I hope you enjoy the book and become inspired to do something special.