Royal Reflections

This week is Homecoming Week at George Fox University. The football team will be playing a home game tomorrow, the campus is crawling with alumni, and yes, there is even a Homecoming Court.

And this year, I found myself in the awkward position as king.

I must admit, I was a bit overwhelmed at first.

 

Every now and again, someone says, “Congrats, Levi. You deserve this.”

I appreciate the sentiment, but I don’t understand what it means. It makes me think back to being on my high schools court. I didn’t win that one. I was a junior, but we did Homecoming in a way that every class representative had a chance to be crowned King or Queen.

I could tell a story about how being the King in college raised my self-esteem and made my insecurities go away.

But that story would be garbage and a lie and there is nothing worse than dishonest trash.

That too

I understand that, somehow , this is an honor. To be honest, it’s nice to know I can win in a popularity contest even when I tell people not to vote for me. My ego is so well fed right now, it makes Marie Antoinette look like she should be the one to eat cake.

However, I should probably be careful about comparing myself to deposed French monarchs.

So why is it awkward?

Because I don’t get the point of the whole thing.

As a member of the Homecoming Court (and as King of course), I am obligated to do three things: Show up for the coronation this past Monday (duh), make an appearance at the game this Saturday, and then go to an alumni dinner that night.  I don’t even have to stay for the full game (and I don’t intend to). I just have to show up and be paraded before the masses. I’m not even expected to stay for the entirety of the alumni dinner. I just have to appear and rub elbows with the other attendees.

I imagine this is what it’s like for Britain’s royal family.

“Just smile and wave, boys. Smile and wave.”

 

I will do all of this. I will be pleasant about it.  I will attempt to have a good time.

But I still don’t get it.

The vast majority of my fellow students don’t get the point either. Almost immediately after being congratulated, I am always asked what it means or why it matters.

I never have an answer for them.

Maybe it’s one of those cultural things we just do.  We have forgotten the actual intended significance, but it’s a tradition so we do it like Halloween. We just do it every year because people seem to like it and no one has attempted to do anything about it.

And in a way, not understanding the point of it all robs this victory of its significance.

However, this doesn’t mean I can’t have fun with it. Others shouldn’t be dissuaded from enjoying it either.

 

I’ve taken to calling other people plebs (as a joke of course). That has been a major source of entertainment. In return, many of my friends and the professors who I am more familiar with have taken to referring to me as King Levi. This would seem appropriate, but they are always careful to do so in the most embarrassing way possible. It seems like an even exchange.

So, I guess all hail me!