Until I came to work in Mount Airy, I was not familiar with the music of Donna Fargo. But now, just two days after getting to meet Fargo, I realize why she has such a lasting fan base.

The award-winning country music singer came back in town for the dedication of a highway in her honor and a new exhibit in the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History.

On Wednesday I went to interview Fargo, and I was immediately struck by her kindness and genuine interest in what we were talking about. She even turned the end of the conversation into a discussion about how and why I got into the journalism field.

But the main thing I noticed about Fargo was her positive spirit. She truly seemed to fit her song, “The Happiest Girl in the Whole USA.”

When she talked about her career and said, “It’s been a joyful ride,” I believed her. When she talked about how she had always wanted to help people, I was convinced.

Fargo told me helping people didn’t have to be some huge thing, but could just consist of being a good neighbor or being positive.

Being positive. I liked when she that. It struck me how pleasant it was to sit near Fargo and listen to her talk. I can’t say that about a lot of people. There are too many people who think it’s their obligation to complain about everything in life or put others down. Those people are no fun to be around.

Not Fargo. From what I have heard of her and from what I have seen, she is an uplifting and gracious person.

Yesterday, Highway 103 was dedicated in Fargo’s honor. She spoke during the ceremony, and she had the crowd laughing and smiling as she shared stories of her life and told several jokes.

During the ceremony, Fargo said, “I believe that life is all about being the best you that you can be and living your life in a spirit of cooperation with others. I learned a lot of that from you, the good people in my hometown. I used to think I’d be so happy if this or that would happen. As I’ve grown older, now I don’t think we should ever put off being happy, even if our dreams never come true. Dreams are important, but we’re more than our dreams. Life is really the prize, amen? My motto is, ‘Be happy no matter what. Count your blessings and don’t let anything steal your joy. Happiness is your birthright.’”

I like Fargo’s motto, and I think I’ll adopt it, too.

I have dreams. They range from the small dream of running up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art like Sylvester Stallone did in the “Rocky” movies to becoming a published author of young adult fiction. I may very well do those things.

But if I never get to fulfill any of those dreams, I still want to live life with an attitude of joy. Life is too short to worry about what someone else said about me or what so-and-so is doing wrong.

Donna Fargo definitely left her mark on me this week. She gave me courage to believe that happiness is attainable. I just have to make the choice to travel down that road.

Meghann Evans is a staff reporter with The Mount Airy News. She can be reached at mevans@mtairynews.com or at 719-1952.