Yesterday was gonna be a great day.
I had a booth at the Boozy Book Fair, a wonderful outdoor event in Ormond Beach, Florida. The Ormond Brewing Company and the Novel Tea Book Shop organized the fair, with local authors and other creatives eager to display their wares.
Ormond Beach is a charming town about 30 minutes north of me and I go up there at least once a month to meet with other local authors. The Facebook event page for the Boozy Book Fair was buzzing—over two thousand people were interested, and the organizers expected several hundred to attend. “Bring lots of books!” they told us, expecting us all to sell out.
And so I did.
My fiancé and I packed our cars with all the requisite gear—tent, table and chairs, decorations, books, and some delicious Spanish wines for raffle prizes (my novel isn’t called Bread Pudding in Barcelona for nothing). We arrived early and set up the 10’x10’ space and realized we needed a bigger table. Off went my beloved to Home Depot while I finished decorating.
Did I mention we’re in Florida? That it’s September?
At 4:00 pm, it was still 92 degrees Fahrenheit with 90% humidity. I’m a contemporary romance author, so I made sure my booth looked warm and inviting, and I dressed to match. But 90 minutes into the set-up, my clothes were sticking to me and I threw my curls into a messy bun to get them off my very sweaty neck.
By 5:00 when the event formally started, it was raining. Not hard, but enough to keep people away. I had one sale before the event when my fiancé stopped at Office Depot on his way to meet me and he bragged about my book to the checkout counter clerk and she bought a Kindle version on the spot. But now we sat under the tent with no customers, watching the Apple weather app which assured us the rain would stop in an hour.
While it drizzled, the vendors chatted with each other. I met some lovely authors and talked with the Novel Tea Book Shop owner. No one fretted, no one complained—we laughed and rolled our eyes at the vagaries of Florida weather and believed that things would turn around. It was the quintessential turning lemons into lemonade.
Booth after booth of writers used their words for good. And then the rain stopped and the community turned out.
We were all busy—people lined up at every booth and we had the opportunity to share our stories. One of my sons showed up with a friend and they added some twinkly lights to my display, making it even more, well…romantic. I met some nice readers, answered questions about my writing, and signed books.
The sky began to darken again and my son’s friend (a longtime vendor herself) cautioned me that the wind could mess up the display—mere seconds before a gust toppled my easel and some picture frames. The tent shook and we scrambled to clean things up. Within minutes, the rain returned, this time in earnest.
Yet again, everyone took it in stride. We looked at each other across the path and laughed. People ran to help each other and we all decided that we’d had enough. Wet books don’t sell well.
Words matter. And the words people shared with each other in the face of a huge disappointment were important. My son and his friend immediately helped pack books and decorations, putting them into their truck while my fiancé broke down the tent and tables. We were all soaked but couldn’t help laughing at the absurdity of the situation. The guys next to us at the beer stand were great, offering to help, opening an area where we could pull up the truck to load our things. Every booth was drenched but the atmosphere was lighthearted and kind as people commiserated with each other.
When the lightning started, we picked up the pace, but the mood never darkened. It could have devolved so easily into anger and frustration, yet we all kept our spirits up and our words remained upbeat.
On the way home, an emergency tornado warning lit up my phone and I was thankful we’d all made it out safely. I marveled at the sheer beauty of the experience. How often have we been in situations that went from bad to worse and were made even more awful by people who give in to frustration, anger, or despair? How often have I been the one to exacerbate a dreadful situation by using my words unwisely or unkindly?
It’s not trite or superficial to turn lemons into lemonade. By sharing a disappointment and then laughing and joking about the meteorologists who got things so very wrong, we bonded and created a much healthier scenario. It wasn’t hard, but it did require choosing to see the absurdity of the situation rather than focusing on the disappointment.
The experience was so much better using positive words. And I wonder: How can I extrapolate yesterday into future situations? Can you imagine if we all made the commitment to try?
And while you’re thinking it over, make plans to come to Ormond Beach on October 30. We’re going to try again…and this time it will be the BOOzy Book Fair.
Because words matter 👻
OH I love this so much. What a great example of the power of "CHOICE", and the dynamic impact it can have. Congrats again on the upcoming nuptuals!! You deserve every opportunity of Love and happiness!!
So we get a mulligan - Oct 30 - oh my - as a married couple!!!!. Book Boy becomes Book Spouse? That’s like going from green belt to black belt!