The Best of Us

I don’t particularly care for Dolly Parton’s music, but I loved Dolly Parton. She was literally the best of us. Unapologetically herself whether people liked it or not. Did not give a single fuck about what was “expected” of her based on her age, gender, career aspirations, and so on. Could have been a billionaire, but chose to invest tremendous amounts of money in communities that were underserved instead. A highly visible counter-argument to the idea that older white cishetero folks can’t help being racist, sexist, and homophobic because of when and where they grew up. I talk often about making care visible and bringing more hope and joy into the world. Dolly did that every single day of her life, and the world is a much worse place without her in it.