Dixie Carter (Designing Women)

Designing Women was a bit like the poor man's Golden Girls. Younger, but not sassier. These ladies ran some sort of design business, I guess. But, you know they were always sitting around with each other, drinking tea and talking. I mentioned to a friend that Designing Women seemed sort of surface-y and not very important. He reminded me about the themes that ran rampant in the series. I mean, we have working, independent, mostly single (some mothers) women. There was a gay, black employee named Anthony. Okay, I guess it really wasn't all that progressive. I mean, a gay interior decorator isn't really revolutionary. And, I think that Anthony had a police record that was addressed in passing in one or two of the episodes. I really hope that Anthony's character was an attempt to showcase characters of different backgrounds and not a nod to racism. I'm in an optimistic mood, so I'll give Designing Women the benefit of the doubt.

As I'm sure you've heard by now, Dixie Carter (who played Julia Sugarbaker) recently passed away. I really didn't know much about her aside from her role on Designing Women (and a really great t.v. movie starring Shannen Doherty and Kevin Dillon called Gone In the Night) and that she was married to Hal Holbrook. Well, sometimes after someone passes, you learn a lot more about her or his life than you knew when s/he was alive. That's true for celebrities and non-celebrities. I learned that Dixie didn't meet and marry Hal until she was in her forties. That really does warm my heart. To think that she could find some sort of career success, have children and then meet her soul mate really makes me believe that life is always worth living because you never know where or when you'll find love. I don't care if I'm reaching when I call them soul mates. I don't care if I sound corny. I remember seeing Dixie and Hal in interviews, and they seemed like they really adored one another. Of course, the love between this couple makes Dixie's death all the more sad.

I know this sounds selfish and maybe even morbid, but when I hear about a celebrity who has died, I search my brain, trying to remember if I liked her in a certain role or how she was connected to my life in some way, even by way of the television. I have to say that I felt like Dixie's passing was sort of emotional in a very selfish way because I really didn't think too much of Dixie's daughters or her own loved ones. I thought about the love that she and Hal had. I thought about how that same sort of love still has the potential to show up in my own life. Though it may sound self-absorbent, I really feel like Dixie's passing allowed my heart to open a little more. Love. Love love love. Is there anything more important, more valuable? I hope not.