All of my life I’ve been surrounded by prominent and important people. They say, “If you want to be successful, you need to surround yourself with successful people.” I have obviously by some stroke of luck, did just that. It seems to me that everyone around me is successful. That’s the first step I guess and I have no idea what to do next.

                Sometimes I’ll call one of my successful friends and they’ll answer with… “Call me later..I’m in a meeting…” …and then there’s silence… while I’m stammering “Sorry” or “Excuse me”

This has always made me feel small and rather UN important.

 ….or sometimes they just text my phone. “In a Meeting”

                …Then I stare off into space with my phone still in my hand and imagine those meetings… the wide tiled hallways ringing with the sound of high heels.  The polished oak doors opening up into large decorated rooms. My friend is seated along with smartly dressed men at a conference table. They’re all drinking Fiji water… and I realize that I’m thirsty. I’m thirsty because it’s hot and the wind is blowing… I can feel it through the holes in my worn out jeans. I want to be in that meeting.

I just want to know what important people do.

                I was driving through a town with one of my friends a few weeks ago…. “See that place there?” He said. “Pretty nice….I’ve been to several meetings there”

                There it was again… what in the world was the meeting about? Did everyone walk out of there with a briefcase full of cash? Maybe it was something so important and confidential that I wouldn’t even understand if it was explained to me at a 3rd grade level. I rummaged around for something to eat and tried to think about anything to talk about that I knew something about.

                Last week a couple of us were clustered around a broken piece of machinery. I was in over my head and figured the customer knew that. I was standing beside him when his phone rang and he answered it. “I’m in a meeting. Call me back” Then he hung up.

                I’ve had my shoulders a little more square, and my chin a tad higher lately. I have successful friends and I’ve been “In a Meeting” with someone.  Things are looking up.