Love you, Dolly.

Looking Backward & Forward

Dolly Parton & My Dad

Like much of the world (at least in my corner of the internet), I spent yesterday listening to Dolly Parton. I sent my brother her recording of "Long as I can see the light," recorded with John Fogerty, because my dad absolutely LOVED Credence Clearwater Revival, and I remember him singing CCR at the top of his lungs while doing the dishes. 

My dad died in March 2021, just as things were vaguely beginning to open up in the world. At that point in my life, I had a bike and had ridden it for a triathlon in 2019 but other than that, it had been gathering dust in my garage. My dad also started cycling mid-life when he, too, did a triathlon, but he kept riding. He loved cycling and really wanted me to do more of it. "I think you'd be really dynamite on the bike" he would say on a fairly regular basis. At that point, I didn't have people to ride with and finding people seemed overwhelming in the crush of life. My dad never knew that I would go on to ride from SF to LA twice, or get myself multiple bikes, or that (apropos to this newsletter), I would end up co-founding a cycling club focusing on getting more women over 40 on bikes (that would be Badass Bike Bitches, clearly). 

Dolly Parton is one of my models for what life after 55 can look like. She performed, donated amazing amounts of money to causes she supported and was involved in multiple business ventures. Her life at 80 had continue to expand and she continued to grow-- showing up in her signature rhinestones, big hair, big makeup-- she reminds me to keep asking what being fully myself looks like and how to do more of it as I age. The last video she posted on Instagram was an apology for needing to cancel upcoming shows for health reasons, but also a litany of projects she was still working on: her musical, the hotel in Nashville she was building, the museum of her life-- she had Things To Do. 

I wish my dad had gotten to see where cycling has taken me-- I really do. It makes me sad that his time came to an end before I could share that with him, to let him know that yes, turns out these legs & derrière are, in fact, made for cycling. It makes me sad that our time to be in the world with Dolly Parton came to an end as well. I wish we were going to hear more from her voice-- whether in song or reminding us that loving the people next to us is the most important thing, or donating money to those in need. That's the bitter part. The sweet part is being reminded that we don't know what fascinating adventures and amazing friendships are still to come in our beautiful lives. Come join us for the future possibilities we can't yet envision-- it might be riding further than you've ever ridden, or it might be meeting people who will become your ride-or-dies. Pretty sure Dolly would approve.