COEUR d'ALENE - The bumper sticker on my car reads, "If you're having fun then you're doing it right."

I think we did it right Friday afternoon as my rockin' Press editors Maureen Dolan and Joel Donofrio and myself belted out songs on the street corner to raise money for Second Harvest Food Bank of the Inland Northwest during the 2014 Spokane/Coeur d'Alene Street Music Week. We are now official "buskers."

We stood adjacent our red collection bucket at the northwest corner of Third Street and Sherman Avenue, hopeful that our singing would encourage (rather than discourage) passersby to throw a few bucks or some change our way. Joel contributed his excellent voice and acoustic guitar skills as Maureen sang like a canary and I did my best to keep up.

We sang songs such as "Take it Easy" by the Eagles, "Sundown" by Gordon Lightfoot and Don McLean's "American Pie." When a song came up that I didn't know, I clapped along and waved to the cars driving by. A few of our Press colleagues came down to provide moral support and have a chuckle.

Being the ham that I am, I rocked a pair of sunglasses and donned a colorful scarf to liven things up. And just by coincidence, Joel and I both wore Beatles shirts. (Although his was a zoo reference to actual beetles. But who doesn't love the Beatles?)

It takes some courage to present yourself to the public, to open yourself to criticism and judgement. Imagine if that was the only way you could make money, if you had no job and no place to rest your head at night. To survive off the pocket change people toss into your guitar case takes courage, resourcefulness and confidence, not to mention perseverance and an attitude of never giving up hope. I have a new respect for street performers, because it really does take gusto.

We only collected $22, but that's $22 that might feed a child for a few days, or a single mom and her kids for a day. Thank you, Second Harvest, for all the work you do to feed our community. Thanks to the other buskers who loaned their musical talents for the cause. Thanks to the kind people of Coeur d'Alene who donated while understanding that we are not professionals, just journalists with a crazy notion.

And thanks to Joel and Maureen for being brave enough to accompany me in this venture. You guys sincerely rock.

Raising money for a good cause, music and the awesome people I work with. It's moments like these when I find the most joy, and definitely know I'm doing it right.