The Toughest Guy I Ever Knew and Other Short Stories ~ Stephen D. Mayer ~
A collection of thought-provoking stories on life, philosophy and humor sprinkled with bits of advice on business and life.
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 hus-
band, 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.
Copyright © 2018 by Stephen D. Mayer All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below. SD Mayer & Associates LLP 235 Montgomery Street, 30th Floor San Francisco, CA 94104 (415) 691-4040 www.sdmayer.com Ordering Information: Quantity sales. Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the publisher at the address above. Orders by U.S. trade bookstores and wholesalers. Please contact the publisher at the address above. Printed in the United States of America
TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1: Superbowl & Excellence
Chapter 8: Abraham, Martin and John
A story told through the Super Bowl about Chasing Perfection and
A story of the 60s, tragedy, inspiration and a hope for the future.
Catching Excellence. Chapter 9: The Toughest Guy I Know Chapter 2: The Three Suitcases
A story about my Dad and a reflection on Father’s day.
A story about making choices in life that will guide you through your life.
Chapter 10: Why We Bought a Bookstore A story about buying local and supporting your community.
Chapter 3: Two Rules A story about how having less rules will give you better guidance
Chapter 11: Man in Black
on succeeding.
A story about professional appearance and why it makes a difference.
Chapter 4: Veterans Day
Chapter 12: Friday Night Lights
A story of honoring those men and women who fought for us to
The story of Bill Blanchard who was paralyzed while playing high
ensure our freedom.
school football and never gave up.
Chapter 5: New Years Goals
Chapter 13: No Bats Baseball—For The Love Of The Game
A story about goal setting and suggesting 11 goals that will give
This is a story about “No Bats Baseball Club”promoting charity and
you a better quality of life.
goodwill through the game of baseball.
Chapter 6: The Flag Thing
Chapter 14: The Lobby Project
A story told through Little League about patriotism and the
A story about 13 people who represent excellence, innovation and
American Flag.
inspiration.
Chapter 7: My Saab Story
Chapter 15: Desiderata
A story told through my SAAB about relationships and taking
A story about the best piece of advice I can share with you.
care of things.