As a parent, a therapist, and a writer, I am on target maybe 70 percent of the time. To expect more of myself would be expecting more perfection than a mere middle-aged mortal can muster. I remember my Uncle Otis's advice. On his sixtieth birthday, a party guest asked for his words of wisdom. Otis was embarrassed by the request but took his duty seriously. He said, "I try to get a good night's sleep and get up every morning and do the best that I can."

Mary Pipher, Letters to A Young Therapist