A thought on Dolly

I was at the grocery store yesterday and the cashier had a Dolly Parton t-shirt on. I put my hand on my chest and said, so sad, and she did the same. We shared a moment of silence.

I grew up humming the music of Hank Williams and Loretta Lynn and Johnny Cash and of course Dolly Parton. 9 to 5 is one of my alltime favorite movies and I followed of her charitable endeavors, from funding disaster relief and children’s hospitals to donating books to underprivileged children. And she always championed up-and-coming female artists!

And my favorite Dolly quote? Find out who you are and do it on purpose. She did not have an easy life, but she sure never let that stop her from chasing her dreams and helping others chase theirs.

I’m listening to a lot of Dolly right now, to the sweetness of her voice, the wisdom of her lyrics. My favorite Dolly song? Her 1983 duet with Kenny Rogers, Islands in the Stream. Because I love her voice and love Kenny’s voice and because the song reflects a deep and vulnerable love between two very indepenedent and different individuals. Love doesn’t mean losing yourself; it means bringing all of yourself and being seen for all that you are.

Which is somewhat like my favorite quote above…I think we all loved Dolly because she was unapologetically herself. She reminds me to do the same. To live on purpose, to love on purpose and, share my wisdom, resources, and heart with others. And I’ll close with one more Dolly quote, If you see someone without a smile, give ‘em yours.