I Swear You Will Be Fine

Dear Josh,

Heads up, this post might be an unpopular one. Not that many of my posts are popular, haha! I thought for a long while about what to name this post. I had a few in mind that would have triggered heart attacks, so I decided against those. This is a topic I rarely speak about, and something I’ve only extensively discussed with one person. I’m not going to share much details about my thoughts in this post but writing this post was a thought that crossed my mind, and recently I assured your mum that she can write anything she wants because it is her thoughts and her son, so following that train of logic, I shall write my thoughts as I choose as well.

Dolly Parton passed on a few days ago. I didn’t really know much about her or her works. Apart from some of her more popular songs, I don’t think I knew much about her at all. After she passed, my social media feed was full of her content. That’s how it is right? People remember for a while before they forget. Usually, it’s only the person’s loved ones who keep remembering. There is one thing I especially like about Dolly Parton. She created something called “Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library”, which is a book gifting program that mails free books to children. How nice! You’d think it’s only applicable for underprivileged children, but she does this for children of all financial backgrounds. Anyway, not the point of my post today. Sorry, I often ramble!

Dolly Parton’s husband passed in 2025, and before Dolly passed, people have apparently asked her why she decided not to move on after he passed. I think she said something along the lines of how her 60-year relationship with her husband was a once-in-a-lifetime type of love, and that he is the only man for her. When I saw this, I liked her even more. I thought it was really sweet. In a sad world like ours, it’s rare to see a long-lasting relationship where neither spouse has cheated. I could be cynical, but I think it is true.

I might have talked about her, but there’s this influencer I follow on social media who lost her husband of 4 years. Her name is Sabrina and your mum follows her too! We talk about her content from time to time. Sabrina has released videos talking about dating again and how hard it is, but she never fails to talk about her husband. It’s nice to watch her videos. I find her views very realistic and it’s refreshing to see an influencer be so real with her emotions (She cries on camera all the time). Anyway, she recently released a video talking about Dolly Parton and her husband. I think some of her followers have chastised her for wanting to date again, saying she never loved her husband, and citing Dolly as an example of “true love”. I guess when I read these comments, I wondered who the villain really was and if there was a villain in such stories. Sabrina addressed these comments with thoughts I realized I never really considered.

She affirmed that she does still love her husband very much and always will, and talks about how she hopes to meet someone who can “appreciate” her love for her husband too. She also says that while it is a sweet and nice choice to never move on from a spouse who has passed, it is also alright for people to want to move on and find someone else. She reiterates that people shouldn’t be criticized for choosing either option and added that Dolly spent 60 years with her husband and that her husband passed a year before her. The fact is – and I never considered this – there is a huge difference between losing your spouse at an elderly/older age and losing your spouse young. There is a difference between having been with your spouse for 60 years and 5. I guess my point is, people really should just live whatever lives they want to live. It is, afterall, their life. No one is the villain in this story, and no one should be made to feel like they are one.

Just for laughs, I’ll tell you what I wanted to name this post, but decided against. The original title of this post was going to be “Dating Again” because it fit the theme of my writing, but I thought about it and realized that some might get a massive shock. It was funny after I changed it though. And who knows, maybe I’ll be thought of as a villain for writing this post.

Can’t wait to see you again. I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, and I’ll miss you more than you can imagine.

Love always,
Sha