Years ago I thoroughly enjoyed a little sitcom called Less Than Perfect. The stars of this show included Sara Rue, Zachary Levi, Andy Dick and Sheri Shepherd. I have followed them since on their various shows, especially Chuck and The View. Sheri Shepherd just shines on the daytime talk show and I was excited to find out she had written a book. Shepherd’s memoir, Permission Slips: Every Woman’s Guide to Giving Herself a Break, details her journey from a legal secretary to comedian to actress to talk show host. Shepherd shares how her childhood shaped her life, especially her family’s involvement with the religious group Jehovah’s Witness. One of the hallmark’s of the group is the idea that the world is ending imminently. Even after she left the group, she adhered to that believe and used it as an excuse to avoid paying bills, including traffic tickets. This eventually landed her in jail for a short time, which changed her life.

Shepherd centers her book around the idea that women put too much pressure on themselves to be perfect and should give themselves permission to let go of some of these expectations. It is a soothing reminder that we need to let go of the past and look towards the future. In this day and age of instant access to information about people, it is interesting to read this book and realize all of the changes that have taken place in her life in the time since writing the book. In the book she seemed reluctant to expect to find true love. Her tales about her young son detailed the troubles he had as a result of his early arrival. She has now found love again with her husband Sal and her son is flourishing. Her success on The View is just part of her successful career and she has written another book about dealing with Diabetes. She has given herself permission to succeed and be happy, no matter the past. A great lesson for all of us.