Some randoms on Dolly…because, why not?

Well, I have done copious amounts of research on the life and times of Dolly Parton and I would regret letting my pondering and observations remain bouncing around in my head and not sharing. 

So here we go with five randoms gleaned from the life of Dolly:

Random #1

I would have to imagine Dolly didn’t spend a lot of time looking at Pinterest boards of capsule wardrobes, how to dress like a French woman, coastal grandma wardrobing and the new Sudoku packing method. 

While it is true she had an army of wardrobe people working for her, she didn’t seem to worry about what was in style or what others were wearing. 

She knew what she liked, what she looked and felt good in and she was 100% herself. It would appear she could care less about conforming to dress codes like “business casual” or what the current trends are. She didn’t don athleisure wear for sporting events unless they were bedazzled to the hilt. She said her “flats” were her four inch heels.

She was who she was and you recognized her from a distance without a doubt.

It was always consistency in her hair, makeup and attire that was part of who she was and it never failed to make me smile. 

Random #2

She had a quick wit and it could have cut deep and hit the mark well on those around her. 

But her humor was often directed at herself and if not, it came with that famous smile and laugh and even the recipient of the joke was disarmed and had to laugh right along with her. 

There was no guile or meanness in her jokes and more often than not, they were so peppered with wisdom we all learned a little lesson in the process.

She enjoyed her humor as much as anybody so we laughed along with her. I can relate to that…sigh..

Random #3

You can tell she had deep compassion and it showed in her acts of giving and in the way she dealt with the public. 

She knew her celebrity status but she knocked down the barrier between being an elusive star and a kind human being. 

She waved and smiled tirelessly. She let people close but there was another side.

She got quiet and thoughtful when being grilled by interviewers that hid their criticism under pointed questions about her motives for how she did life. She didn’t get angry, but with careful wording remained true to herself and what she believed. 

I recognized in many of the clips I saw the way she gave so much to others and then how she would fade out and move along. I sense in her the same need I have known between wanting to be a people person and the need to refuel between peopling moments. 

The fact that she wrote a zillion songs that are all different and all a kind of poetry in music that tell stories and explore common situations tells us she was a sensitive creative person.

If she brooded, she did that off camera and let it fuel her art without making it part of her image.

She was not “fake” … she was warm-hearted but also careful to put up healthy boundaries between the public life and a private life everyone is entitled to have. 

Random #4

As I listened to various interviews and clips, I noticed that she didn’t express political views. In one reel, a reporter was baiting her with questions about her political viewpoints. 

She said firmly that she has opinions, as we all do, but she chose not to air them to the public. She said, “I am not in politics. I am an entertainer.”

The man sitting across from her pointed out that she is also a role model. 

Her response was quick. 

“Yes, I am.” She said and then added that’s why she keeps her mouth shut. 

There may have been an expletive in there, but it was well positioned. 

I did hear one interview where she said that all politicians could do better. The interviewer asked her to name names and her response was…all of them. 

She refused to name names but said that the majority of them are more interested in their party and getting votes than in the people. 

I couldn’t agree more. 

Random #5

The other thing I have noticed is the way her faith and the evidence that it marked how she lived. 

She didn’t preach, she spoke out of her own daily walk. It was salt in her conversations and it was the reason she gave for working hard, showing up, loving, making people smile, giving, forgiving and everything she did. 

It doesn’t seem to matter what audience she was standing in front of or what person she was talking to, she didn’t hide the fact where her source of strength came from or what was her reason for doing what she did.

And she did it without a pharisee spirit. 

There was no judgment. 

Her faith was just part of her operating system: just like the way she dressed and the way she let God lead her career, the way she saw needs and met them, the way she knew she was only human but, by golly, she was going to do her very best every day. 

And that’s why we loved her, in my humble opinion. 

She left the world a little better and encouraged the rest of us to do the same. 

Pretty good legacy, I would say. 

Have a blessed weekend. 

Remember, you are loved <3