I met Susan White on the Queen Mary.  It was a strange place to meet the white gloved very proper English Lady.  The whole ship was intermingled with Metaphysical Speakers, and Harley Davidson riders.  In the midst of this mishmash of unusual suspects, walked this very formal, tall lady and she caught my attention.   “ Hello, I said” “So nice to meet you” she replied” I am here to meet my brother who has just flown in from London. I was fascinated and to my delight found that she and her brother were eating lunch where I was.  I could observe her and I became fascinated that during the entire meal with her brother, she never took off her white gloves and never got them even soiled.  So, I decided to write about Susan White for the column.  She made the motorcyclists seem like…normal.

Susan survived the World War II Blitz and started entertaining back in 1945. As Susan puts it she had nine lives.  Lots of near death experiences but she kept dancing her way through Europe entertaining the troops.  Keeping the fighting boy’s minds off the isolating and lonely feelings, men away from home feel while fighting for something they may not politically understand, but bravely go to battle for the sake of their country and safety of their loved ones. Politics and War is all beyond me but Susan went out there and danced for them.

Susan started performing, singing and dancing and also doing pantomime (which is probably our connection- for I also was a mime for many years of my life.) For twenty years Susan toured doing cabaret, musical comedy in France, Germany and other countries keeping the men dreaming of their sweethearts far away.  Then she came home and opened up a dance school and still now, late in her life …and I never give away a ladies age she teaches tap at Valley College.

I write about Susan White because I think she is brave.  She had a dream and walked her talk and her only question she asked me was “ should I write my memoirs” and I say Yes, what a great way to let the younger men and women of today know that you can dream and grow older and that you don’t have to be the replica of a magazine cover to make yourself and other people happy.  Just go out and connect to others from your heart and keep the dream going. If you should happen to encourage even one other person then it helps pave the way for others to do the same.  And, Susan, please, never take off those white gloves.

Thank you for taking the time to write.
Toni Attell

Toni Attell is a hypnotherapist and acting coach. For people interested in her acting classes please call (818) 787-8685. For hypnotherapy go to www.hypnosis4you.net.