Letters to Myself: Entry Sixty-Eight
Prompt: Have I actually found out who I am — or am I still living out someone else's version of me?
“Find out who you are and do it on purpose.”
A reflection on Dolly Parton’s quotes; how the The Road is a great connection piece to Dolly; how we must continue to carry the fire she left us with. We must not stop on the road of life, especially now that one of our mavericks has passed on.
This is a tough one because I do believe that I know who I am as a person; I know my likes, I know my dislikes. I have friends who share decently similar interests; and then I have my family who is part of my shared love for the world. For the most part, over the course of some time, I have slowly figured out who I needed to become in order to live the life I have wanted. It took some major time and errors to get here. And I am still learning and figuring it out; and we are changing and morphing every single day on this planet. We are not meant to be stagnant on the journey of life; much like Dolly would have talked about or said about. Many of her quotes represent that notion or mindset.
Dolly also talked about not fearing death; stating, “I’m not afraid of dying. I’m afraid of not living.” And part of my own journey of becoming the person I needed to become and still becoming is recognizing the mortality we all have. Memento Mori; remember that death should determine what you say, think and do on this planet before you are gone and perished away. We are not meant to live forever; we are all born with a terminal diagnosis at birth. We must recognize that death is part of the river of life; we are on that journey and we are not sure when it stops; hence why Dolly expresses the concept to live. Know this and live the life you have always wanted.
And Dolly also knew that hard work was necessary to live out a life that was fulfilling to her. Look at the magnitude of the things she did; see the quotes she expressed for those who might be feeling lost and alone in the world; look at the performances and songs she put together in times that were just as hard as they are right now. To be like Dolly is the route we should be taking; we need to continue the light that she was carrying. And after just finishing The Road by Cormac McCarthy, the idea is very true here. We must ‘carry the fire’ for as long as we live. Dolly recognized this idea and thought; we will live in a world where our heroes and the people we care about the most will perish.
Some of us will go on; some of us will perish in time. But one thing is for sure, when that hero of yours perishes from this earth, we must continue the carrying of the fire in a dark world. A world that seems to be going mad in many directions. It is haunting with some of the things we see on social media; the things we see in the news; the things we see around us; the police sirens that are becoming continuous; the stubborn nature of class being exposed from people all around us; we are all on the road of destruction and chaos, but we have to continue onwards and look for the ‘good guys,’ a statement said many times throughout the book.
That is what makes some of the importance of Dolly’s lessons so valuable. We must continue to forge paths even amidst the chaos. There is no better feeling than doing a good deed when people are needing that in their lives; there is nothing better than showing someone a great book or film or some piece of art to let them pause and reflect; to understand the world more through the eyes of a maverick who really pushed the limits in their area. That they were not afraid of experiencing the road or the stage; that they were not afraid of the bullies that are inevitably going to find you; that they will try to steal and beg from you; that they will seduce you into something you are not supposed to be. The person you are meant to be, much like I said earlier in this writing.
Find Dolly’s quotes for inspiration to keep going. That each corner; each new field; each new house; each new landscape; each new person; find the hope and fire that is being carried by them. That is what we are doing. We are carrying the light forward until our time of destruction comes. Or as the father says in the novel, ‘the truth,’ is what he described death as. The truth can sometimes wait because we are too busy living it out. Because living a life is living in truth as well. That is how we can do the things around us; help people when they are down; to experience a glimpse of hope somewhere when no one is looking.
What this week reminded me of is that we should be living the lives we want to live. And there will be more death to come; it always does because that is the nature of living this life. Life is precious; time is precious, and we must stop wasting it. We have too, otherwise, we will be years down the line and regret the time we didn’t spend right now on the things that matter to us. That is how Dolly survived so long and was that maverick for so many people. She stopped wasting her time on the things that didn’t matter. And we always do that; whether that is on social media; whether that is on whatever vice we are addicted to; sometimes it’s breaking that habit and turning it into a habit that you want to stick out; something that makes you better as a person. As a human being.
So to wrap this reflection, remember your mortality. Reflect on it. What is the thing you want your family to say about you once you are gone from this planet? What are the things you have always wanted to do but have not because ‘you are too busy’? Who are the people in your life that you truly care about? Are you saying yes to them more than the other things like social media and addiction elsewhere? Sit with these questions, write out the things that matter to you; and then start reducing the list further. Because time is short as well; we are only given so much time in a day, and if you did go in the night, what would have today been for you? Would it have been worth it? Was it the last day you were hoping for?
Thank you Dolly Parton. One of a kind soul; a soul worth embodying day-to-day. We will continue to carry the fire.
Main thought: Dolly Parton left this earth on August 25, 2026. Live today like she did. Spread the love far and wide and know that each interaction or opportunity is a chance at virtue and kindness. Carry the fire onward now that she has passed it onto us. Memento Mori.
This post is part of my "Letters to Myself" series — a weekly free-write blog where I explore personal growth, curiosity, and healing through simple prompts. Sometimes reflective, sometimes fun, but always real. Thank you for being here.
References:
Photo by Kyle Gare
Parton, Dolly. "Find out who you are and do it on purpose." (attributed)
Parton, Dolly. "I'm not afraid of dying. I'm afraid of not living." (attributed)
McCarthy, Cormac. The Road. Knopf, 2006.
