What Dolly Parton Taught Us About Living
- Beth Caldwell
- 5 hours ago
- 4 min read
We've lost Dolly Parton.
It’s difficult to think of another woman who has touched so many lives in so many different ways. She's been a personal role model to me. I read the book Dream More in 2012, and it set a new standard for me. In 2019, I had her Netflix series, Heartstrings, on autoplay. Her talents have also been part of the soundtrack of many lives, including my own.
During a brutally sad winter when I was navigating the worst heartbreak of my life, I played Dolly's concerts on YouTube at full volume. That's when I discovered her song “Light of a Clear Blue Morning” and played it over and over again. And I mean over and over. (poor Kevin) Dolly wrote the song during a time of major transition in her own life and later described it as a song of deliverance and freedom.
That song got me through.
Of course, my experience is just one tiny example of the extraordinary impact Dolly had on millions of people. Dolly was an extraordinary singer and songwriter. She sold more than 100 million records, won 11 Grammy Awards, and became one of the most celebrated and influential women in country music history.
But her legacy is so much bigger than music.
She was a businesswoman. A philanthropist. A champion for children and literacy. A woman who came from poverty in the mountains of Tennessee and never seemed to forget where she came from or the people who were still struggling.
And for generations of women, she was something else too.
She was an example.
Dolly showed us that a woman could be feminine and powerful. Funny and smart. Ambitious and generous. Successful without pretending to be someone else.
She didn't make herself smaller to make other people comfortable.
And she didn't keep her success to herself.
One of the most beautiful examples of that is Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. Her father could not read or write, and Dolly saw how much that affected his life. So in 1995, she started giving books to children in her home county in Tennessee.
That little idea grew.
Today, the Imagination Library sends millions of free books every month to children around the world, regardless of their family's income.
Think about that.
A little girl who grew up poor in a one-room cabin became one of the most successful entertainers in the world, and then used that success to make sure millions of other little boys and girls had books in their homes.
That may tell us more about Dolly Parton than any award ever could.
And Dolly's impact has reached right here into Pittsburgh.
Her Imagination Library has become part of our own community through Reading Ready Pittsburgh, providing free books to thousands of local children. The program originally launched in Pittsburgh with a $250,000 grant from the Benter Foundation, and this summer the foundation committed another $1.8 million over five years to dramatically expand its reach. The goal is to enroll at least 65 percent of eligible children in the City of Pittsburgh. As of August 4, 4,900 Pittsburgh children were enrolled, along with another 4,308 children in surrounding communities, and the local program had mailed an astounding 924,270 books.
There's another Pittsburgh connection that makes me smile. In 2025, Herschend, the family-owned entertainment company that partnered with Dolly to create Dollywood, became the owner of three of our beloved local attractions: Kennywood, Sandcastle, and Idlewild.
So in a way, a little bit of Dolly's enormous legacy found its way to Pittsburgh too.
As I've been thinking about Dolly's life, there are three lessons I hope we remember.
1. Be completely yourself.
Dolly never seemed interested in becoming someone else's version of who she was supposed to be.
She was glamorous, outspoken, funny, deeply talented and unapologetically Dolly.
There is tremendous power in deciding that you don't need to become someone else in order to succeed.
2. Use what you have to help someone else.
Dolly didn't just write checks. She looked for places where she could make a real difference.
Children needed books. Families who lost their homes in Tennessee wildfires needed help. Researchers needed funding. Communities needed investment. And when Dolly could help, she did.
We don't have to have Dolly Parton's resources to live that way.
It's a mindset. And the answer to this question: What talents and resources do I have that could make someone's life a little better?
3. Never underestimate the power of hope.
Maybe this is the lesson I love most.
Dolly's life wasn't about pretending hard things weren't hard. Her songs were filled with heartbreak, poverty, disappointment, longing, and loss.
But somehow, hope kept showing up too.
Maybe that's why Light of a Clear Blue Morning has meant so much to me.
Sometimes we need someone to remind us that morning really does come.
Dolly did that for me.
And I suspect she did it for millions of other people too.
The music will remain. The books will keep arriving in children's mailboxes. The communities she invested in will continue to benefit from her generosity. And women who watched her live boldly, laugh loudly, work hard, give generously, and remain unmistakably herself will carry those lessons forward.
What an incredible legacy.
What is your favorite Dolly Parton song, book, movie, or quote?
And what has Dolly meant to you?
Please share in the comments.
I'd really love to hear.
