First name / friend,

I’ve been thinking a lot about Dolly Parton lately.
 

Not just the music or the outfits or all the things everyone knows her for, but the way she spent so much of her life giving to other people.

 

And especially the way she cared for her husband, Carl, near the end of his life.

 

After he passed, Dolly talked about how easy it was to let her own health take a back seat while she was focused on him. 

 

That really stayed with me, because I think so many caregivers do that without even realizing it.

 

You’re making sure someone ate. You’re keeping up with appointments. You’re checking in, helping, worrying, remembering all the little things.

 

And somewhere in all of that, your own needs keep getting pushed down the list.

 

With today being “Dolly Day” (9/25), maybe one way to honor her is to put one of your own needs back on the list.

 

Make the appointment you’ve been putting off.

Take an hour without feeling like you should be doing something productive.

Say yes when someone asks if they can help.

Or simply give yourself permission to admit that this is hard sometimes.

 

Taking care of yourself doesn’t mean you’re taking anything away from the person you love. There’s room to care for yourself, too.

 

— Debbie

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