The foreword to a book, when written by the author, often describes how the idea came to be or the process behind its publishing.
In the forward to Sudburian Michael R. ‘Mike’ Smith’s self-published book, detailing his eclectic life and career, there is a small request.
“Spelling and grammar were never my strong points and I am afraid I write the same way I talk,” he writes. “So, try not to judge too harshly.”
In an interview about his new self-published autobiography, Lucky Breaks or What! (Hunter, Fisherman, Industrial Bearing and Power Transmission Salesman, a man of the road) Smith gave a little more information about that request.
“The book's not written by AI, it's written by me and I write the way I talk. I tend to use a bit of foul language at times, because that's the kind of guy I am,” he said with a laugh.
With 44 chapters in a full-size 8.5-by-11-inch book, the 76-year-old said he was inspired to write the book after reading the obituaries of friends who had passed. He said would read a story he’d never heard before, even about someone he had known for years. Smith told Sudbury.com he wanted a chance to tell his stories for his family, and perhaps, for others who aren’t quite sure where their path will take them.
Though he was born in Barrie, Smith spent his teens in Sudbury and attended LaSalle Secondary School and Cambrian College.
His story begins as a “fairly normal kid“ becoming a life that brought titles such as: Royal Hamilton Light Infantry Militia member, taxi driver, construction labourer, underground miner, smelter labourer, insurance salesman, steel-building salesman, industrial bearing and power transmission salesman/consultant, hobby farmer, federal political candidate, home renovator, fisherman, hunter, world-traveller, father, husband and storyteller.
He’s a ‘Mike’ of all trades, you could say.
But none of that was in his mind in Grade 9, he said. “When I went to high school, I was only interested in girls and duck hunting.”
His mother had big educational dreams for her son, wanting him to become a veterinarian, but that required high marks and five years of post-secondary school. Smith was about to fail his courses ahead of Grade 10, and was advised to move to the technical courses offered.
It was a “lucky break” that he did, he said, as he learned the skills he’s used throughout the careers he’s loved.
It's part of the reason for the title, too.
“While I was proofreading it, many times I said ‘Was that ever a lucky break or what?’ Because my whole life seemed to have lucky breaks.”
He worked in Saskatchewan for four years of his life. Why? He went hunting there, liked it, and as luck would have it, he was able to get a job there.
He came to Sudbury for his wife, who is from the Nickel City and missed her family and Francophone community.
In fact, he considers his wife of 30 years another for the lucky break column.
First, the two meet on a blind date. They quickly learn that not only did they grow up on the same street in Barrie and attend the same elementary school, but they even had friends in common.
“Three weeks later, I'm back in Sudbury, dropping in to see a buddy and he begins to tell a story about his friend and wife who had split up. And the way the story is going, the parallels…”
Smith said he paused before saying to his friend: “Um, I think I’m going out with your best friend’s wife.”
They’ve been together ever since, said Smith, even though they both came with their own lives.
“On that first date, she says, ‘I come with baggage. I’ve got three kids and two dogs.’ I looked at her and said, ‘Well, I have two kids and three dogs. So we have five kids and five dogs between us.”
And though Smith points to luck in many of his stories, famed Canadian humourist, Stephen Leacock once said “I am a great believer in luck and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.”
So is it lucky breaks, or hard work that has propelled the life story that Smith tells in his book?
A bit of both, he said. A willingness to take chances, to make mistakes, but also, to learn new things.
For instance, it was a man he refers to as a “young office nerd” that taught him, at age 50, to use Microsoft Word to put pictures into a document along with text. It allowed Smith to make catalogs for his customers, which he said set him apart from the rest.
It’s the same technique he used to create the book.
And as he hoped, the stories within “Lucky Breaks” are sharing the full picture of who he was, in every iteration of his life.
“They're getting lots of giggles and laughs and surprises, absolutely,” he said.
You can find Smith's book on Amazon.
But remember, he writes the way he talks, “So, try not to judge too harshly.”
Jenny Lamothe is a reporter for Sudbury.com