HARD CANDY CHRISTMAS by Dolly Parton
It always begins with “Hard Candy Christmas”, even though I was a teenager and many songs had already woven their magic into my being. That hearing is seared into my memory, a witnessed and profound awareness then and in retrospect. I was coming from Dubuque. It was late and dark and I was on the road near Timmerman’s in East Dubuque, the standing freight train was to my right, beyond that, the Mississippi backwater, and me in my rust colored Ford Fairlaine. I’d heard this song before but this time I really heard the lyrics; adversity be damned, start over, reinvent yourself, feel the thrill of beginning again, tend whatever ache but not let it stop one’s intent at living. In that solitary night with the radio playing I recognized the true seed of my nature. I understood that no matter what hurt me, I’d see the adventure in getting over it, see it as a perfect excuse, a springboard to a new, romantic life. The end was only the beginning and I could nurse my sentimentality and paint new pictures with it. I realized I could use a song to find my way, use lyrics to identify my troubles, share my grief with the writer knowing nothing of my pain was new under the sun. I wasn’t alone and could take the lessons learned and move on; dramatically, musically, sentimentally. I’d define life as an artistic adventure, and in that was fun, uniqueness, optimism, and a distinct path. The journey itself became the destination and that is how I have lived ever since. I chose a course of life that night with Dolly Parton leading the way. That song intimated that all you had to do was have the courage to change your perspective. Try something new. No need to dwell, worry, or give up. Simply look at trouble a different way, as an opportunity for adventure and reinvention. Stay up late, pack your bags, travel, drink and defy all boundaries. And most importantly, you needn’t worry about what others may say. They have no power over you. Go on your way, leave them and all their naysaying in the rearview mirror. Life is yours to be lived the way you want, and best to do it with a song and a smile.