Praise the universe, I've known this shiny, vibrant chickadee for many lifetimes. BUT, in this particular lifetime, we found each other in our early 40s.

Doro is a starter of magic and wonder and art in its many forms. She loves buttons and colors. She is instinctually rooted into where she comes from and the traditions and places and people who have raised her up. Unique and singular, her OG energy radiates around her being.

The caliber of how she connects into creative realms whispers, "innate." She seems to have been born with "it", that spark of self that blossoms new and higher with each season.

And her stories, oh these stories are lodged inside her lifespan and have special backdrops of cities and islands. They are weird and informative and delightful and deep. They clang and dangle around her like color-infused charms. They lean against bookshelves in museums far and wide. "How hard can it be?" she asks.

I love when she begins a description of something. She nods her chin down and starts her telling in a deeper voice, urging you to lean in so you can gather the wisdom and fun in her words. I love her stories. But mostly, I love that she shares herself inside of them, for they are empowered fairytales that land in profound and simple ways for our collective experience. She has literally changed lives through her stories. And those lives will go on to change others lives and on and on until the world is shaped and changed into a creative and magical ecosystem of explanation, imagination and care.

She is inclusive and incredibly warm-hearted. Her laugh is booming, in a soft way. She holds so much knowledge that stems from her wild dedications. She asks questions and listens to answers.

She has earned the title: Expert In Her Field, because she tries it all and weaves what she respects into an activated vision.

When she feels a problem, practical solutions and creative ideas begin their percolation. Now, I know we can say this is about many women and hell yes, keep that coming ladies. BUT on this front, SHE, is one-of-a-kind because her solutions and ideas balance function and imagination and pizazz.

She pushes status quo forward, without force. She operates without pomp or circumstance but I always get this feeling: WOW, my world has just lavishly shifted, when we are together. She accomplishes this so subtly. She values experiencing life more than anyone I know. This energy of hers is infectious.

She has felt the hardness and the unfairness and the obstacles that comes with being human. We have complained and revealed. I love to salute her steadfast drive, its one that feels powered by pure determination. I love her open orientation to our wide world, armed with a bounty of curiosity. I love how surprising she is while she's doing pretty ordinary things. I love how she leans in and looks you in the eye when you're near her, like she's sharing the secrets of what makes a spark sparkle.

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She opened her doors when I opened mine. She was so proud to share her early years with me, the collections and the vast piles of time. She showed up for my daughter, sharing time and resources to facilitate that all-important sparkle. She is sensitive and generous and opinionated. She is quiet in her world-domination-power, for she has published and shaped and mothered and cared and traveled and partied.

She takes care of herself, for she knows herself.

She is a mother, a won-doro-us well of a mama. Down to the molten and up to the stars is what her expansive love feels like when it comes to her relationship with her babies. She holds the universe open for them to experiment in and they eat it up. She is a really good hugger. She invites you to linger just a bit longer so the reciprocity of care has time to root.

We have laughed through a magic show, ate turkey, swapped homes, sat arm-to-arm in theaters, dealt with circumstances beyond us, showed up for our children, picnic-ed, gobbled turkey, dished, traveled, and gabbed and checked-in. I love being in her colorful orbit for we never hold back, we hold each other. I love her love of life and recognition of surprising talents that inspire her to grow.

She keeps the ultra-special things alive. She charges the important things with even more importance.

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May she feel the ripples of gratitude pouring out and around her, floating in sweetness and laughter and jokes and stories. May she be delighted to know that we all view her as a force warmed over by heart. May she receive. May she know when she shows up with herself, as herself, we all bask in the glow of her colors and her ideas and her energy and her curiosity and her generosity, and her humor. I love that we can sit back and enjoy the world together. May she accept my love, for she shared a sip of the absolute best gin martini. And may she accept my widest, wildest, weirdest, wonkiest appreciation for our dear friendship. I hold it just so, and it shines rainbows and shimmers with reverence and reminds me how non-linear time is how sisterhood is measured, for we've been friends for many many lifetimes. Bang on.

xx, D

This is a series entitled, "Love Letters" and it's dedicated to the women in my life who have impacted me in ordinary ways that feel quite extraordinary. It's my hope that my letters move each of them toward a deeper self knowing and be a catalyst to normalize sharing how much we love each other.

I was inspired to write this series because of a funeral. A friend was taken too soon and throughout the heavy hour in church, I knew Jane felt the outpouring of love BUT tears came from this realization: she may have missed it when she was among us. So, instead of waiting until the people we love are gone, please share who they are to you and why you love them so dearly, as I am choosing to do here and now.