Susan (be still my heart)

Last night I had dinner with my friend Susan. I use the term "friend" loosely here, because Susan is so much more than "my friend". Susan is a treasure, and I am so lucky to count her as one of my most cherished friends and confidantes with iconic status in my book.

Susan is everything I aspire to be. She is so smart. She is so beautiful. She has finesse. She has incredible taste in everything. She is fit as a fiddle and takes such good care of herself and her loved ones. She is one of the most gracious and endearing people I have ever known in my life. She has been a perpetual role model and coach for me since I've had the enormous pleasure to know her over the past 11 years.

If ever I am in doubt, wondering what I should do, how I should act, what I should say, even what I should wear to specific occasions - I just think, "What Would Susan Do?". While she would never write a book like that because it would be way too ostentatious for someone like her, she could make a fortune with a book called "What Would Susan Do: The Essence of Living An Enchanted Life".

Susan has many talents. She has a high-powered job (literal and pun) that deals with very important issues and people. She is brilliant with color and decorating. She entertains effortlessly and is an outstanding cook - with an unparalleled collection of Southern Living Annual Recipes Cookbooks. She is sincere and genuine, yet so original. She's got Moxie. She's a social butterfly in the truest sense, fluttering from one person to the next, sprinkling her fairy dust on everyone she meets.

She lives unencumbered by blatant material displays, although she certainly loves pretty things and collects them (like silver salt cellar spoons). The funny thing about Susan is - she steps out of the pages of Vogue Magazine every day, but loves to spend her lunch time shopping at Big Lots for all manner of *stuff*. She's always popping the trunk of her car to reveal bags and bags of great little finds from Big Lots, or she's dragging a 50 lb bag of potting soil around, ready to plant her own Arugula in window boxes.

She also travels. And travels well. How many people do you know who fly to Hong Kong to visit friends and *some how* end up flying First Class to the other side of the world? Or travels the Mediterranean by cruise ship and sits at the Captain's Table for dinner every evening? With Kevin, her lovely life partner who I also admire and adore, she takes the epitome of the perfect trip every year at Thanksgiving to some warm inviting locale like Key West or Cancun.

I could go on and on about Susan, because I've loved her and studied her for years. And she could tell you a few things about me too, but she won't - because she's also the best secret keeper.

Thank you, my beloved friend, for having dinner and catching up last night.