It's My Life - Melody Carlson [76]
I mean, talk about weird–having perfect strangers walk up and ask you to sign your name on their programs or T-shirts or, on the rare occasion when they've actually purchased our album, on CD covers. I've even been asked to sign Bibles, but I refused. Then if that's not bad enough, one time this guy walked up to me and pulled up his shirt and invited me to sign his chest! Okay, I've seen Allie sign people's hands and arms, but I'm thinking we have to start drawing the line somewhere.
I guess I never considered this side of the business before. I always thought having a band and doing concerts would be about the music. But now I can see it's a whole lot more, and I have a feeling I don't know the half of it yet. As a result, I've noticed that whenever I start to feel uneasy or intimidated by a particular situation, I slip back into my “tough chick” exterior. I don't like that I'm doing that, but it just feels safer somehow. Hopefully no one has noticed. Allie and Laura haven't mentioned anything yet.
Speaking of Laura, she seems to be handling everything fairly well. Or at least on the outside. Sometimes it's hard to tell exactly how she feels underneath because she's so good at keeping up appearances. If she ever gave up music, she could take up acting. Fortunately, her self-control and smooth restraint makes her pretty cool and dependable on stage, and then when we're done performing she's really warm and friendly with the fans on the sidelines. She comes across as generally well-balanced with her all-around steady-as-she-goes kind of style. I suppose I envy her a little bit too. Naturally she has no idea.
It's kind of funny to consider how different the three of us are. What a trio! And sometimes it just totally amazes me that we ever got together in the first place. How did that happen? Definitely a God-thing.
We recently came up with a little routine that we do before a concert. It's our way to determine who gets to share her testimony. It only took a couple of concerts before we all agreed that it's better not to know when your turn to speak was coming. That way you don't get quite so nervous beforehand.
So, about five minutes before we hit the stage, the three of us huddle together on the sidelines and do the old rock-paper-scissors routine. Naturally, the “winner” gets to speak to the crowd. Not that we think of it as a win-lose type of thing; mostly we just hope that God is in control of the choosing that day.
After the “speaker” is selected, we finish off with a quick prayer. We always pray for the audience, that God will reach out and touch their hearts through our music. And so far so good. Or so it seems. It's hard to know for sure, but the general reaction of our audiences has been quite positive.
As a result of our little elimination game, I've come to think of the three of us in those same terms–rock, paper, and scissors. I see Laura as the rock since she can be so immovable sometimes, but she's also dependable and solid. Allie is the paper because she can be kind of flighty, but at the same time she's flexible, fun and active. I guess that makes me the scissors, which doesn't seem like such a great thing really. But maybe it's because I'm the songwriter and I have to be on the cutting edge–ha. Naturally, I haven't told Allie and Laura about my little metaphor. Somehow I don't think they'd fully appreciate it.
Now, just in case it sounds as if I'm complaining. I'm not. I am thoroughly enjoying our tour. And the scenery's not bad either. Like right now we're driving through some of the most incredible country I've ever seen–amazing mountains and trees and beautiful sunsets. It's been awesome! I feel totally blessed by God, and every single day I'm thankful for all He's done and is doing with our band.
ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS