" We are born into the river of life each in our own boat. You can't get into my boat and have your own life, and I can't get in your boat and have my life. Trouble arises when you try to climb in my boat or expect me to climb in yours. We each have to struggle to learn to paddle our own boats, and to negotiate the different currents of the river.

Sometimes, you may prefer to paddle by the bank while I prefer the middle, or you may be ready to go farther and faster before I am. But sometimes -- perhaps even often as the years go by -- we may find ourselves choosing to paddle close together, in a synchronized pace, toward a mutual destination."