deep thoughts by Kenny Rogers

This performance was from many years ago, not the show on Friday. Just in case you couldn't tell. It's worth watching anyway.


Dolly Parton was on Oprah on Friday. She was there celebrating herself (and showing off her ginormous tour bus, and her ginormous plumped-up upper lip and her ginormous...ummmm...wig collection) and promoting the 25th anniversary of Dollywood. She sang a little bit of 9 to 5 with her gee-tar on her knee and the audience clapped along.

Then the curtains opened up and out came Kenny Rogers. They sang Islands in the Stream and I got choked up. Tears welled up in my eyes. Why? I have no idea. I think they just take me back to the good ol' days of my childhood. I watched the movie 9 to 5 way too many times to count. And I love Kenny's voice (and his roasted chicken too). I had to go get a kleenex when he started singing The Gambler.

After the singing, they sat down to have a little chat. Oprah asked Kenny, "So what do you like about working with her?"

He started talking about what a great person Dolly is. Then he gave his take on what you need in order to succede in showbiz. He blah blah blahed and mumbled a few incomplete sentences before he finally got around to saying this:

"We're all three people. I'm who I think I am. I'm who you think I am. And I'm who I really am. And the closer those three people are together, the longer you can last. And I think if there's an example of someone who is what she presents, it's Dolly."

I pushed rewind and listened to that again. Then I pushed rewind a few more times so I could write it down. Deep thoughts by Kenny Rogers. He's talking about succeeding in showbiz. I think it applies to succeeding in life. And by succeeding, I mean being happy.

I'm who I think I am. that chubby-cheeked, shy, awkward, insecure girl from seventh grade.

I'm who you think I am. an amazing wife, mother and friend. beautiful. talented. kind. wise. generous. funny. (did I forget anything? feel free to add to it...only the good stuff though)

I'm who I really am. a child of God.

The closer those three me's are, the longer I can last (or the happier I can be). Or maybe the happier I can be as I endure everything that comes my way. The good and the bad.

Later that night as I was laying in bed wasting time on the internet, I found this blog and read this quote:

"I want you to feel the reality of what this means, to know who you truly are. You are literally a spirit daughter of heavenly parents with a divine nature and an eternal destiny. That surpassing truth should be fixed deep in your soul and be fundamental to every decision you make." -Jeffrey R. Holland

And then I read this:


And then I realized that I have a lot of work to do to get my three me's to play nicely together.

Wish me luck!

(because I'm going to try to do it without medication and without being admitted to the looney bin...not that there's anything wrong with either of those, especially the looney bin...I bet it's nice and quiet there, with plenty of time to think)