We needed Susan Boyle

Thanks, Scotland, for sharing your hidden treasure with us. I'm referring to Susan Boyle, the 47-year-old woman who went onstage recently before American Idol's curmudgeonly Simon Cowell and his co-judges for the British version of the show.

Boyle is unemployed, has never been married, and lived with her mother for many years taking care of her until her recent death. Boyle is not a physically beautiful woman.

I can say that last line without a hint of shame because she and I have much in common. At 43, I'm not thin, my hair is not styled, my clothes are not fashionable, and I could give a professional makeover crew a run for their money.

Now, though, thanks to Boyle I'm not even gonna bother.

So what is Susan Boyle's sudden and breathtaking claim to fame?

She sings like an angel.

Cowell and his skeptical audience were fighting off a bad case of the snickers and smug head waggings when Boyle came out on stage to perform. She was tongue-tied, unsteady in her dowdy heels, and not at all the poster child for poised, fabulous talent.

Then she opened her mouth.

Out came the incredibly beautiful but difficult song, "I Dreamed A Dream" from the musical Les Miserables and the judges and audience went wild.

Oh, and a lot of them cried.

Judging from reader comments on British newspaper sites, the makers of Kleenex should have seen a spike in their stock prices following Boyle's performance because crying is listed as the first and most popular reaction to watching her video.

I myself contributed to that spike. I've watched Boyle's online video about five times now and just can't fight back the tears. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's the song with its lyrics of a life wasted and vanished dreams. Maybe it's the surprise of seeing Boyle, so plain, so regular looking cut loose with a voice as good as any pro. Or maybe it's watching the very obvious transformation of a skeptical, haughty audience and the show's judges as they struggle to reconcile their ears with their eyes.

Susan Boyle has done more for middle-aged women in under three minutes than all the self-help books, well-meaning counselors, beauty consultants and Photo Shop airbrush artists ever could.

She's reaffirmed the worth of the individual from the inside out.

I wish she didn't live so far away. I really want to hug her.