Meeting a Saint

 This is not a story I tell frequently, or at all first off because it was embarrassing and deeply personal, second because no one would believe me, or at least not many people would believe me. so here it goes...

I got up early one mid 80's morning to go to work downtown, still wearing the cloths I was partying in the night before. To say I was hungover would be kind, I was probably still drunk and the way I was feeling I wouldn't wish on anyone. This is not the remarkable bit, this was an all too familiar Monday morning.

I caught my bus paid my fair, wobbled down the isle, collapsed in the seat and proceeded to vomit on the shoes of the passenger I had sat next to. I was mortified. There are some things you never want to be responsible for on a Chicago city bus, strange discolorations and not so strange smells are only a few and here I'd managed both, on some strangers new shoes. To my resounding horror I was about to do so again.

Now whilst every other passenger in the seats, before and aft of us immediately moved as far away as they could, She put a gentile hand on my back and said "Oh honey, that's ok, let it all out" I couldn't believe it! I started to cry quietly "but your shoes! I so sorry, I ruined them, please I can pay for them"  "Don't be silly, everyone is entitled to a bad day" she replied "they're just shoes, are you alright honey?" and in that moment leaning over her knee looking at my mess, I realized who's shoes I had just defiled, and the enormity of it was painfully awful. It was the kind of awful you feel when you know you have disappointed your grandma in front of the entire family.

And there she was, on a CTA bus rubbing my back, like I was her's and this was just an unfortunate thing that happened.

As I raised my head and looked into those blue eye's, did you know how blue they are? Like good denim.  All through my stumbling apologies she was just so kind and understanding, she wiped my mouth because of course she had kleenex in her purse, and dabbed my eyes whilst telling me it was alright she had lots of other shoes, I needn't worry about it. Then she got up and floated off the bus like the fairy-godmother she was. I watched her take off her shoes and toss them in a bin then disappear barefoot into the Hilton.

I scrambled off at the next stop and had to walk several blocks back to work, having missed my stop. I went into a McDonalds to wash off the shame and do my face, which had melted off. My god I looked a mess! I may not have the best luck in the world, but the luck I do have seems to pop up when I need it to, in small very strange ways. Of all the people who could be on a CTA bus at 9am I wasn't expecting, Dolly Parton, and really who would? 

Now You see why I don't tell this story to just anyone. So why am I telling it now, you ask? I tell it to illustrate just what kind of angel Dolly was in real life, because honestly you can't get more real life than that! Though I wish I could have met her under less embarrassing circumstances maybe even told her how much her music meant to me, but I would have to say the absolute kindness she showed me when she not only didn't have to but would have been justified in at least walking away in disgust, was all Dolly. 

Dolly Parton was a bright shining example to us all on how you should live a life through generosity, understanding one another and above all being kind to each other. I have never forgotten that lesson.