Forever Dolly
On the way to work this morning, I passed a billboard of Dolly Parton. Her silhouette lit up, hair like a crown, sparkle in her presence even through a flat piece of print. And right across it: “Find the good in everybody.” Then, almost like a nudge from the universe: Kindness, pass it on.
It stopped me.
Because here’s a woman who has lived nearly eighty years in the spotlight, every stage, every camera, every microphone pointed her way. A life of iconic music, unforgettable performances, unforgettable wigs, and unforgettable one-liners. But more than that, a life of service, of generosity, of finding common ground when the rest of the world is busy building fences. Dolly Parton has built an entire legacy not on division, not on anger, not on bitterness…but on kindness.
And I couldn’t think of a less divisive human being if you sent me home to write a research paper about it.
In a time where culture tells us to retreat into our corners, where we’re inflamed daily by what we choose to watch, scroll, and consume, Dolly’s message couldn’t be more relevant. She’s proof that goodness is not naïve, it’s revolutionary. She’s proof that kindness is not weakness, it’s strength that outlasts the noise.
Now, let’s be honest. It’s true, there are bad people in this world doing bad things. People whose actions wound, divide, destroy, and make it hard to comprehend the idea of finding “the good” in them. But maybe that’s the deeper challenge. If you can’t see the good in someone right now, then at the very least, hold onto the hope that it exists. Believe that somewhere, buried deep under the surface, there is still a piece of humanity worth redeeming. Sometimes kindness is not about what’s visible, it’s about the decision to keep believing in the possibility of it.
The truth is, we have a choice every single day. We can listen to voices that make us harder, colder, and angrier, or we can choose to follow the ones that stretch us into compassion. We can let the media, politics, and our own pride make us smaller, or we can take Dolly’s advice and find the good. Even if it takes effort. Even if it’s inconvenient. Even if it means swallowing our ego.
Because this isn’t pick your poison. This is pick your legacy.
And Dolly already chose hers. It’s written in the libraries she’s built for children. It’s in the songs that have become anthems for outsiders. It’s in the way she’s stood in every room…Hollywood, Nashville, Dollywood, you name it, with an open hand and a smile that disarms even her critics.
Her legacy is kindness. Her legacy is love. Her legacy is proof that you can rise to the highest heights without stepping on someone else to get there.
And so I ask you…what’s yours?
Love,
James