In hindsight, that should have been my motto over the weekend, but it wasn’t. As I mentally prepared myself to attend the annual Narrowsburg Honey Bee Fest last Saturday, the weather report was dismal and my attitude even worse.
“I don’t wanna get wet,” I whined to anyone who would listen, “and my camera equipment is worth a small fortune! Wah, wah, wah!”
Additionally, I had That Dog Named Gidget to fret about, because a wet dog is a smelly dog.
All told, I was a piece of work, and making everyone around me miserable. “That’s me,” I moaned to River Reporter living legend Eileen Hennessy, when I called her to complain. “Just a freakin’ ray of sunshine on a cloudy day.”
“Yep,” Eileen said in response. “No argument here. Don’t worry,” she chirped with her usual (somewhat annoying) sunny disposition, “be happy.”

Sighing audibly, I grabbed my umbrella, decided to leave the dog at home, and girded my loins for what I was sure would be (IMHO) hours of damp annoyance.
It rained all the way to town and since I was driving, I missed five phone calls from River Reporter sales guru Kathy Leggio, who was wondering if we should set up our booth at all.
“I’m here!” I shouted at Kathy as I huffed and puffed my way down Main Street to meet her. Kathy was already opening crates, ably assisted by yet another extremely upbeat sales rep, Lily Skuthan, and our brand-new journalist, Ruby Rayner-Haselkorn.
“Uh oh,” I muttered to myself. “There’s Ruby. She’s literally brand new. Now I suppose I have to be nice.” I slapped a smile on my sour puss and greeted everyone semi-warmly while groaning about my fate, lacing everything with gallows humor. “I guess we have to just grin and bear it,” I said to the crew. “Maybe it’ll stop raining?”
“Doesn’t really matter,” Lily said with a grin from ear to ear. “That’s how you know we’re professionals. We show up. We make it happen.”
Amazed by Lily’s can-do attitude and wanting to make a good impression on the new kid in town, I did my part: pulled my weight and figured out how to rig my umbrella to my waist with a bungee in order to not get my lenses wet.
Once we (I mean they) were ready to greet the public and represent the paper, I teetered off, determined to snap pics of the festival and somehow turn my frown upside down.
“This is what they call ‘baptism by fire’,” I whispered to Ruby, who was all smiles and having a ball. TBH, I didn’t want to give her a bad impression—it was her first festival, after all.
It rained, and people showed up regardless. Taking my cue from the ladies, I mellowed (a little) and did my thing, constantly stopped by fans of the newspaper, many of whom wanted to know where the dog was. “She’s home,” I explained repeatedly. “Warm and dry, unlike me.” Wah, wah, wah.

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Ask the Google: Q—Where did the expression “Don’t worry, be happy” originate?
A—Indian mystic Meher Baba (1894–1969) often used the expression “Don’t worry, be happy” when cabling his followers in the West, and the expression was printed on inspirational cards and posters during the 1960s.
And this: “Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” a 1988 song by Bobby McFerrin, was released as the first single from his fourth album, “Simple Pleasures.” It was the first a cappella song to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, a position it held for two weeks.
Fun Fact: Definition of “to gird your loins”: If you gird your loins, you prepare to do something difficult or dangerous. It’s an expression you’ll find in the King James Bible (1 Peter 1:13). It basically means you need to prepare for action by pulling up your robe and tying it around your waist so you can both move more easily and ride your horse comfortably.
OK, then.