The Catastrophe of Success

As Mr. Williams noted, fame and success have a downside.  On Monday, as soon as I walked into school, I was greeted by a staff member who said, "I saw you on TV last weekend!  You were great!"  I tried not to be shocked; it is a nationally aired program, and this is a very conservative and religious school.  Probably a lot of people saw it.  I have to say, though, I sure wasn't expecting that, and I wasn't prepared for how uncomfortable it made me feel.  Something about different worlds colliding, I guess.

Later in the day, as we were praying before class, I noticed two students whispering and giggling, their eyes directed at me.  They usually don't try to get away with that in my class, so I asked them what was going on.  Reluctantly, one of them smiled shyly. "We saw you singing on TV."  I tried not to let my embarrassment show, remembering that I was still In Charge.  "Oh, you did?"  I tried to sound breezy and unconcerned.  "I didn't know you could sing like that!" she continued.  "And you were so well-spoken!"

I felt heat creeping into my face.  "I'm glad you liked it," I said, and started to ask them to take out their books.  Someone asked a question about the segment, though, and another student answered from the other side of the classroom.  "You saw it too?"  I questioned.  She nodded, as did several others.  I was definitely blushing now, something that I have only done two or three times in my life.  "Wow!  How about that.  Well, let's get star --"

"What station is it on?" another student piped up.  "I want to watch it now!"

The first student who had commented said, "Check your e-mail."

"Lisa!"  I said, aghast.  "How many people did you tell?"

"Pretty much everyone in my Contacts list."

Oh.  Okay.  Lent may be over, but I am still learning humility.