Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

It is easy to let other people control your day and make it a big waste of time.

Here is a story, a true story.

I was at work. Later in the day I was to brief a roomful of important people. But for now, and the next few hours, I had nothing to do. I decided to go to the grocery store and buy a large amount of soft drinks for the office refrigerator.

I walked down the hall towards the exit. Standing outside the conference room were two conscientious persons waiting their turn to brief a roomful of important people.

I went to the store and bought a large amount of soft drinks. I parked my soft-drink-filled vehicle next to the office entrance. I went to find our office cart to haul the soft drinks. On my way to the cart, I passed the conference room and noted that the two conscientious persons were still standing by waiting to brief a roomful of important people.

I found the office cart and headed back towards my vehicle. On the way, I passed the conference room and noted that the two conscientious persons were still standing by waiting to brief a roomful of important people.

I filled the office cart with the soft drinks and entered the building. On the way to our soft drink storage area, yes you know, I passed the conference room and noted that the two conscientious persons were still standing by waiting to brief a roomful of important people.

I put all the soft drinks in the soft drink storage area. I returned the cart its proper place and headed back to my vehicle still parked in front of the entrance. Once again—yes this is monotonous—I passed the conference room and noted that the two conscientious persons were still standing by waiting to brief a roomful of important people.

I went outside and parked my vehicle. I entered the building and on the way to my desk passed the conference room. Still, two conscientious persons were still standing by waiting to brief a roomful of important people. They had been standing there while I had done my soft drink run. This took about an hour.

I could no longer stand it. This time I stopped to address the two conscientious persons standing by waiting to brief a roomful of important people. I told them

What I’ve done probably isn’t very important, but at least I accomplished something.

We all smiled.

It is easy to allow other people, like all those important people filling that conference room, to control our day and turn it into one big waste of time.