Dolly Parton

7 Things Dolly Parton Has Taught Us

 

I have loved Dolly Parton ever since I can remember and as I’ve got older, I’ve come to love and admire her even more. Five years ago, thanks to a generous birthday gift from a friend, I found myself sitting three rows from the stage at a Dolly concert in Wallingford, Connecticut. I was close enough to see tiny rhinestones and bits of sequins falling from her dazzling outfits and bounce onto the stage. I was blown away by her ability to play so many instruments, by the way she completely lit up the stage with her presence and above all, by the quality of her voice that left me with goosebumps and, at times, a few tears. She remains one of the greatest songwriters of all time. Her songs tell stories and offer advice and inspiration about love, life and everything else. Here are seven things that Dolly has taught us through her music and her uncompromisingly positive outlook on life.

7. There’s usually more to a person than meets the eye 
Dolly Quote: "I’m not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes, because I know I’m not dumb…I also know that I am not blonde."

Dolly embraces her constructed appearances, from the big wigs to the big boobs. But she is certainly no dumb blonde, despite what her appearance suggests. In Backwoods Barbie she cautions people not to assume that the "goods aren’t all there" because of her make-up and hair. Her false eyelashes do not make her shallow because she runs "true and deep". Appearances are often deceptive and, while it’s easier said than done, it’s best to reserve judgements based on first impressions.

WATCH:  Backwoods Barbie   

6. Stop whining and get to living  
Dolly Quote: "You’re not going to see your dreams come true if you don’t put wings, legs, arms, hands and feet on ‘em."

In true Dolly fashion, she tells offers up a few words of advice about seizing the day in Better Get to Livin’:

Be willin’ and forgivin’
Stop whinin’, pinin’
Get your dreams in line
Start carin’
Start sharin’
Start tryin’
Start smilin’

This is a basic recipe for all of us to follow in order to make the most of life, instead of complaining and blaming and wallowing in self-pity (let’s face it, we love throwing pity parties). In In the Meantime, she points out that we’re all so worried about dying that "the joy of livin’ is lost". We need to "drop this doomsday attitude and get on with the show".

5. You deserve better
Dolly Quote: "The magic is inside you. There ain’t no crystal ball."

It’s quite simple when you think about it: If someone ain’t treating you right, it’s time to move on. And it’s no use wasting your tears on someone who wasn’t good enough for you in the first place: "you ain’t worth the salt in my tears" she says to someone who has lied and cheated. In Get Out she sends someone packing because they took her for granted and she’s "finally had enough" so she’s "takin’ back her life".

4. There’s no place like home  
Dolly Quote: "I try to always remember where I came from, who I am and why I wanted to do this…It was not because I wasn’t proud of my home, that I wanted to leave it. I just wanted to take the Smoky Mountains wherever I went."

Dolly has never forgotten where she comes from. In fact, she has maintained her connection to her Smoky Mountain roots through her music (see: My Tennessee Mountain Home, Tennessee Homesick Blues). In the song Home she describes the comfort and peace she gets from returning home, where "I can lay down my heavy load and know that I’m always welcome…where the soul finds comfort and the heart finds pleasure."

WATCH:  Home

3. We can make the world a better place
Dolly Quote: "I always just thought, if you see somebody without a smile, give ‘em yours."
Dolly makes a better world sound like something so easily attainable. Together we "can stop the rain and make the sun shine, paint a pretty rainbow brushed with love across the sky". She describes a world that I want to live in!

2. Don’t throw stones
Dolly Quote: "I think all people have a right to be who they are…I love everybody. It doesn’t matter to me."

In Shattered Image Dolly cautions against judging others, using an extended metaphor of someone throwing stones while living in a glass house: "Don’t shatter my image ‘til you look at your own. Look at your reflection in your house of glass. Don’t open my closet if you own’s full of trash." In this vain, Dolly has also been a voice for the LGBT community in advocating equality and withholding judgment for those whose lifestyles don’t conform to norms and traditions.

1. Sometimes love hurts – and that’s okay
In I will always love you (arguably her most famous and popular hit, besides Jolene and 9 to 5), Dolly reminds us that it is possible to move on from heartbreak, to take the "bittersweet memories" and wish nothing but the best for the other person while believing that happiness is possible for you too. Instead of falling to pieces, hold on to the good memories, pick yourself up and keep dreaming of a Better Day.

Trust her. She’s Dolly Parton.

WATCH:  I will always love you