Round 2 of the Blazer’s Edge Best Things Ever Tournament continues today. If you’re not caught up on the proceedings, we started with 64 mostly-random good things in life, sorted into a March Madness style bracket. From those 64, we will elect one grand winner as the Best Thing Ever for 2026. It’s our way of keeping a little fun conversation going (in addition to our other coverage) while the dog days of the NBA offseason drift by.
Participating is simple. Each post offers a choice between two good
things. Read about them, then pick one to vote for. Register your opinion (and any explanations you want) in the comments section. The winners of the Round 2 matchups will go onward to the Sweet Sixteen!
This is going to be a hard choice too. This post matches up Dolly Parton with Otters.
We recently lost Dolly, a truly kind and gentle public figure among celebrities. Her reputation exceeded even her considerable musical prowess. Even those who didn’t love “9 to 5” and “Jolene” had to be impressed by Dolly’s insistence on being charitable to all people, speaking graciously, and providing a big ol’ hug from her celebrity platform.
But speaking of big ol’ hugs, who doesn’t melt when they see river or sea otters playing, eating, or socializing with each other? They’re pretty much the most adorable animals on the planet. Their interactions could probably teach us a thing or two.
There are no limitations on the criteria you use to make these decisions, especially when they’re hard. However your heart leads you, follow it. Will you choose Dolly or Otters? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
