I often try to imagine what your day-to-day life is like. I have a good imagination, I think, but still I always come up short, because you live in a world I will never know.

Yes, you still have ordinariness to deal with--traffic jams, long lines at stores, cleaning up after your dogs, etc. But I think that now the highs must be very high--going amazing places, and meeting famous people. It has simply got to mess with your head a little bit. I mean, you probably have had celebrities come on to you, and that has got to make you feel freaked inside...

But somehow, you manage to remain basically grounded, and basically decent. So many people who go from one extreme to the other, like you have, just can't deal. They take refuge in alcohol or drugs, or become complete jackasses. I'm not saying that I wouldn't myself, if it happened to me! Because it IS a very weird thing, no doubt.

But YOU. You just keep trying to hold on to your essential self, you true identity. You try so hard to keep your head on straight, and that is probably what I admire most about you.

Like I say, I try to imagine what it must be like--but that's all I can do, is imagine. You're living it--the American dream, and it's so much bigger and more powerful than your best dreams, it could almost crush you when it comes true--it could, couldn't it? But you're still that tough little kid, that refuses to be beaten, by poverty OR excessive amounts of success.

For this reason, and many more, I admire you very much, and wish you your heart's desire.

Madeline