Today is September 25th, aka 9-25, or in the vernacular of the internet 9 to 5.

After the recent passing of Dolly Parton, a suggestion circulated that now and forever September 25th be dedicated to Dolly Parton as 9 to 5 Day.  I don’t know if it’ll catch on for long, but I’m all in this year.  So without further ado, Happy Dolly Day!

Since I’ve dedicated this month to the promotion of my recently-released book Catherine Over Water, you probably won’t be surprised that it was easy for me to find a tie-in to my book, because Dolly Parton is actually mentioned within the pages of my new novel.  Let me set the scene.

When our narrator, the grumpy and taciturn Catherine Moss, meets an earnest young crow named Veronica, she initially wonders at how to hold up her end of the conversation with a bird.  On one of their first meetings, Veronica notices Catherine’s painted toe-nails peeking out from her plain sandals, and asks, “Do you paint your claws, or are they naturally this red color?”

Catherine tells her that her nails are painted because she thinks the color is pretty, then admits that she colors her hair too—so that she will look younger than she actually is.  Veronica is taken aback.

                  “Why would you ever do that?” she exclaimed. “To be an elder is an admirable thing! Our crow elders are proud of their years, their experience and wisdom. Is it not this way with humans?”

                  I licked my lips, a bit embarrassed. “I, uh, for some humans, yes, sure, we do honor many of our elders.” I paused, trying to think of a woman we honored for her aged wisdom, but all I could think of was Dolly Parton. Yeah. It seemed a paltry sampling.

Yes, Dolly Parton was a “paltry sampling,” but an important one.  When I wrote this paragraph a few years ago, I could think of no other American woman who was universally admired and lauded.  Dolly Parton was famous because she was a musical prodigy, a gifted singer and songwriter.  But she was beloved because of how she handled her fame and the fortune that came with it.  As a retired school teacher, of course I will point immediately to her Imagination Library that provided millions of books to children all over the world before they entered school.  But this charitable work was the tip of the iceberg.  She gave money both publicly and quietly to many different causes from medical research to LGBTQ causes.  Countless people have come forward to tell stories of her kindness, her humor, her deep spirituality, and her basic humanity.  I feel we’ve lost a living saint.

But please don’t despair!  My protagonist Catherine may be silently lamenting the paltry sampling of elder women that are honored here in our culture, but we don’t have to let that stand.  Look around you—I’ll bet there are many elder women in your own lives who deserve gratitude and appreciation.  We can be Dolly Parton for each other, we can keep the spirit of Dolly alive.  I suggest we start with this quote of hers:

“Find out who you are. And do it on purpose.”

Think about it:  Dolly Parton was unapologetically herself in a way few people have been able to emulate.  She admittedly dressed like a drag queen in heavy makeup and wigs, but she wrote stories in song that told of simple family values of acceptance, kindness, and love.  She was a Christian who loved and actively supported the LGBTQ community.  There were no contradictions in any of this.  She was simply who she was.  She was Dolly.

Here’s another Dolly quote I love:

“Storms make trees take deeper roots.”

This is another great piece of wisdom, especially since it seems we’ve all been through some strange and fierce storms in recent years.  And when we put these two quotes together I think we have a blueprint for how to weather these wild and interesting times.

  1. We must encourage each other to be our own authentic selves.  And then we must—each of us—respect the choices others make to express their unique selves.
  2. We must put down roots together, and talk.  We need to get through it all together.

I pray and affirm that we will all grow in greater appreciation for our families and for our friends, and for the people we encounter every day, that we may encourage and thank them, that we might all be more aware of the kindness and wisdom they offer.

And if you don’t encounter kindness around you, may you be that example of kindness for others.  Amen

Happy 9 to 5!  Happy Dolly Day!

May it continue

 

Photo by Wes McFee on Unsplash