I was never a huge fan of "Seinfeld," but I'll admit there have always been things about it that make me laugh.

One of those things is Jerry Stiller as George Costanza's father Frank. I always liked the Festivus episode, especially the part about the airing of grievances, but the one that never fails to leave me clutching my sides is when Frank is working on his temper and has come up with the mantra of "Serenity Now."

At first he's saying it calmly, but by the end of the episode he's shouting it to himself in an angry voice.

[caption id="attachment_506" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Frank Costanza&#39;s Festivus card"]<a href="http://mikerappaport.net/onevoice/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/festivus.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-506" title="festivus" src="http://mikerappaport.net/onevoice/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/festivus-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a>[/caption]

To me in addition to being hilarious, it also shows just how hard it is sometimes to be human. No matter how much you feel like you've learned, no matter how certain you are of the right thing to do and no matter how hard you work to do it, being human means you're going to fall short and let yourself -- and other people -- down at times.

<em>"During the past year, you have disappointed me in the following ways ..."</em>

Sounds just like Thanksgiving or Christmas in a lot of families, including just about every movie made in the last 20 years about grown children returning home for the holidays.

The fact is, we hurt the people we love more than anyone else.

But that's because they care what we think and vice versa. There is no one in this world whose good opinion of my I value more than my wife's opinion, and that isn't just because it makes things more peaceful at home.

It's because at least theoretically, the person you love enough to marry is the one who knows you better than anyone else in the world, so if your wife thinks you're a <em>schmuck </em>-- or a smuck, as a close friend of mine used to say -- then there's a good chance you are one.

A schmuck, not a smuck.

So when I mess up, all I can do is apologize, put it behind me and try not to do it again.

And go around muttering "serenity now" until I feel better.