Friday, January 28, 2011

something singular…..

Have you ever been in a situation and wonder “How did I get here?”  That was me on Wednesday.

I was at a dinner in Las Vegas with several people from a design competition, but ended up with a small group that included Shashi Caan, Angelo Surmelis, Susan Inglis, Ed Baran and myself.

Shashi Caan – SC Collective 

Shashi’s orginally from India and now lives in New York.  Angelo was born in Germany, but is really from Greece, and now lives in New York and Los Angeles. Susan is from North Carolina.  Ed is from Philadelphia and now lives in Los Angeles.  I’m originally from Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin and now live in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. 

Susan Inglis - Executive Director SFC

You can Google any of them and get pages and pages of the great work they’ve done, the national and international awards, or the shows they’ve done, or the important things they’ve achieved.

Angelo Surmelis –TV Design Guy

I feel like I might have “faked” my way into this situation, but I’m glad to have been there.  I remember saying, more than once, after hearing the credentials of people in this party, “I grew up on a turkey farm.”  Seriously, I did.  I am self-taught in the world of practical thinking.  I am not a designer.

Publicist Ed Baran with Cher

So, what did we talk about, all of these important people, all of these people who do important things? 

Love. 

Not design?  Not how everyone is important?  Not “Look at me”?

So, here we are, from everywhere and every walk of life, talking about something singular.  Even though we are all different, we all came back to the one thing that impacts all of us.

It was a great night.      

6 comments:

  1. What a lovely post, no pun intended.

    In the end, there is only love and fear.

    If only more people chose to focus on the former than the latter.

    A great night, indeed.

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  2. It was.

    How we got on that topic, I don't know. But, it was fascinating to hear everyone's views.

    I seem to find myself in more of these situations. As George Gobel would say, "I feel like a pair of brown shoes in a room full of tuxedos".

    Thanks for visiting.

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  3. A couple of years ago, I was in New York to see a friend of mine in a play on Broadway. I met him backstage afterward and we went to a late dinner, then met up the next morning to grab breakfast before my flight home. At the gate at LaGuardia, I wrote in a little journal I keep in my purse, musing about why such a famous person would want to spend time with me. And you know what I came up with? Because I'm a kind, interesting person. I make him laugh. We talk about his daughter, about music, about whatever. I don't fawn over his celebrity. With me, he's just himself.

    So it makes perfect sense to me that you find yourself in these situations. Everyone has their own story, something to contribute. You feel lucky to know these people, and I'm sure they feel lucky to know you.

    And on the topic of love, you have plenty to say. I loved the post about the day you spent with your daughter.

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  4. What a great group and conversation. You belonged as much as any of us did. The perfect end to a wonderful week. Thank you Tomas.

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  5. Beth-I still pinch myself. But, it's because I'm doing something I love with people who include me. I feel lucky, grateful, and yes, I do feel I belong. But, it's kind of like sneaking in the theater. If the usher doesn't catch you, you get to watch the movie.

    Angelo - It was great, wasn't it?

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  6. Yes, it was great. You are one of the reasons it was. See you and the Midwest weather soon.

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