Bits and Pieces

The sweet smells of cooking coming from the kitchen. Learning to blow bubbles with bubble gum. PepsiCola, grass-lot baseball, Saturday matinees, BB guns, amusement park roller coasters and girls...all a part of the normal experiences for a child growing up during the 1940s. Except Gary Buehler's childhood was anything but normal. Struck with polio at an early age and having divorced parents with an absentee alcoholic father, Gary's lessons in life started early. He learned how to survive in a world where others often had -- at the very least -- a physical advantage. Gary takes us on a journey of joys and disappointments. His tells his stories with the innocence of youth detailed with the wisdom of a life well-lived. Enjoy the bittersweet tale of a man with a big heart, deep thoughts and the ability to move forward no matter what the odds.
About the Author: Biography as written by the author: I was born in Philadelphia in1937 and began life in the Hunting Park section of the city. I took the bible seriously and went forth and multiplied. At last count, I have five grown children (four sons and a daughter), eight grandchildren (four boys and four girls) and even a very young great grandson. The day after graduating from high school in 1956, I was hired as an entry-level employee for the Brown Instrument Company. Always artistic, that seemed to be my destiny in life. In five years, I managed to achieve the title of design draftsman. Disenchanted with a series of nickel raises that came few and far between, I cast my lot with RCA in Moorestown, New Jersey. There, I was one of the designers working on the Lunar Excursion Module that would help place a man on the moon. My talent wasn't enough to save my job in a depressed economy. It wasn't fair, but the last one hired is the first to be fired. In time, the economy began to improve and for the next few years I was able to gain employment with several small companies, finally being hired to work for the Burroughs Corporation (which eventually became the Unisys Corporation). I survived countless restructures and layoffs for the next thirty-six years. Over the years I had been asked how I managed to stay with the same company for so long. My stock answer always was a lack of ambition. When I retired at the age of sixty five, I was the company's manager of document control. My biggest regret is that, because of health issues, I am no longer able to go fishing. I busy myself occasionally getting together with friends for an evening of music, wine and food. In between, I spend countless hours working on honing my writing skills. Reading my stories in public I am often asked to write an introduction. I am not fond of tooting my own horn, so the following is what I came up with: Gary is a well-known motivational speaker, specializing in getting over awkward embarrassing moments in one's life. His advice of "cheer up, some day you will laugh about what happened ....I know I will" has gone viral on YouTube. For a time, he tried his hand at investment counselling, where he was best known for his unforgettable catch-phrase, "It is nice to have something to fall back on besides your ass." Perhaps his greatest accomplishment is being the current record holder for the most times accidentally gluing his fingers together with superglue.