We all thought Dolly would live forever.
My guess is because at 80, she still lived as though she was in the prime of her life.
In addition to looking perpetually youthful, she kept working, creating, dreaming and taking on new challenges. She gave away millions, laughed at herself, and wore whatever the heck she wanted, and never lost her sense of playfulness.
I’ve always had respect for her as a person and her immense talent, but after the outpouring of tributes this week, I have been taken back by the bevy of Dolly’s potent one-liners that offer excellent life lessons on how to live that happen to be very Mojo-esque. Here’s just a few I had to share…
Dolly kept doing hard things.
She grew up one of 12 children in a two-room cabin in Tennessee and built an extraordinary career that lasted seven decades. And she didn’t get to a certain age and decide she’d done enough. She kept going, challenging the norms and fighting for her convictions.
There is something powerful about continuing to evolve, no matter our age. Trying new things requires our feeling comfortable with a little discomfort. Being a beginner is so good for us.
She sure did!
Dolly knew exactly who she was, and made no excuses for it. Big hair, boobs, rhinestones and all. This quote says it all, “I’m comfortable in my own skin no matter how far I’ve stretched it as the years go by.”
Dolly said she didn’t follow fashion or worry about what other people were doing. She knew how she wanted to look and went with it.
Wear what makes you happy. Move the way your body moves. Turn up the tunes!
I’ve been sharing this quote for years, and had no idea Dolly said this. It took on even more meaning in Dolly’s last few years.
Carl, her husband of nearly 60 years, had been very sick before he died in 2025, and Dolly took care of him. In doing that, she admitted she stopped paying attention to some of her own health.
“I didn’t take care of myself. So, I let a lot of things go that I should have been taking care of.”
I suspect a lot of us can relate to that. When someone we love needs us, our own stuff can slide pretty quickly. The doctor’s appointment gets pushed off. Exercise goes. Sleep gets spotty. We grab whatever is easiest to eat. Friends and the things we do purely because we enjoy them can disappear from the calendar.
Those things add up.
Taking care of ourselves doesn’t have to mean disappearing to a spa for three days. Sometimes it’s keeping the appointment, taking the walk, fitting in some Mojo, going to bed earlier or saying yes when somebody offers to help.
Dolly certainly had some rain. She lost the love of her life, dealt health problems and still had plans to perform at an event just weeks before she passed.
Life keeps changing the plan on us. We gotta adjust and keep going, and have some fun along the way.
Keep moving. Keep learning. Take care of the people you love.
But don’t forget to wear the outfit, laugh at yourself, turn up the music and dance.
Thanks for the reminder, and RIP Dolly. ❤️
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