Susan Boyle is exhausted, too!!

She came in second on Britain's Got Talent, but not before the tabloids went all high school on her and tried to stifle her back into the dark corner she hid in over the last 40+ years.

Please, Miss Boyle, take all of the time you need. Decide where you want to go versus having those self-serving ham bone of a pair of judges (Piers and the chick) herd you in a direction that suit their ends, because, quite frankly, there is no legitimate reason for the chick to be a guest cohost on CBS Early Show, but not for you.

I've always pictured you doing stage work, or something that could benefit the theatrical talent within your Scottish community. If anyone should piggyback your success, let it be someone who can complement your talents.

As for the Lily Allen and Sharon Osbornes of the world, who opted to be bitchy about your recently acquired spotlight, just tell them to suck it. And to those who equated your second place finish to your coloring your hair and cleaning up your eyebrows, they really missed the point. Unlike Samson, your strength isn't rooted in the aesthetic; the johnny come lately fandom is. It's the hangers-on's problem if they can't handle your touch-ups.

And finally, just remember that your trying out was due to your parents' wishes for you. They wanted you to achieve your fullest potential, not become a pinata for the tabloid press or a puppet for Simon Cowell. They would want you to be proud of your gift and of yourself. You will have to determine which is the appropriate direction to take; hopefully, you will not allow haters to have a say in it.

I've had the blues before, although I've never checked into a facility for it. I just slept and thought. Ate and thought. Took showers and thought. Watched television and thought. My thoughts led me to letting go of certain disappointments and replotting a new direction. Do not feel ashamed for regrouping; nearly everyone who is honest with themselves knows that this is normal.

Please take care.