Remembering Dolly
Dolly. Only her first name is needed for people to know exactly who I'm referring to regardless of the crowd I'm in. She held many titles: musician, entertainer, entrepreneur, humanitarian and so many others.
She has been intertwined in my life for decades. She's been a role model and inspiration.
In fourth grade, my best friend and I did a performance for our elementary school talent show. She interviewed me as I was dressed as Dolly. We listened to interviews, looked at pictures, and created our only little skit. I did a lip sync of "Here you come again" (way before Milli Vanilli did it!) We got trophies for our entertaining performance. That performance encouraged my love of being in front of people and the song is still one of my favorites.
Fast forward to when another good friend and I worked together in our school. She was the solo nurse and I was the school counselor. "Islands in the Stream" became our song because no one else could relate to our jobs. I always smile when I think of my "Kenny" to her "Dolly".
Butterflies. They are a symbol that Dolly and I both adore for their gentleness and freedom. They evolve from caterpillars in a messy way and create such beauty and whimsy as they transform. I chose the name of my coaching business and wanted a butterfly in my logo because of the significance for me.
The weekend before her death I drove to North Carolina and listened to a biography about her and sang her songs for much of the weekend. I loved her heart and her example of kindness and generosity and good humor.
On the day of her passing, I received several calls and texts from people who know my love for all that is Dolly. I cried. I went to sleep early. I played her music for several days at every opportunity. I experienced the grief of losing someone I loved even though we never met and she didn't know my name.
Today, I'm listening to my Dolly playlist and I'm smiling because of all that she shared with the world and how she touched my heart. She stood up for people who could be and were forgotten. She valued education and loved reading and made sure that children got started early in sharing this love. She recognized that people have strengths that they may not recognize and she did her best to help them grow into who they could be. Dolly didn't let people's titles or roles intimidate her and she did what she said what she needed to say. She loved her family and her friends deeply. She lived her values in big and small ways. She also had a way to say a lot in just a few words, so I'll let her have the last words.
“We just gotta do our best day-to-day, be the best person we can, do the best work we can, and just keep on dreamin’.”---Dolly Parton
