Every day each of us wakes up, reaches into drawers and closets, pulls out a costume for the day and proceeds to dress in a style that can only be called preposterous.

Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Be nice to your siblings. They are your link to the past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

One thing you might want to learn before you attend the world's largest ukulele lesson is how to say ukulele.

TV happens. And once it's happened, it's gone. When it's gone, you move on, no tears, no tantrums, no videotape

A line from one of my 1997 columns - 'Do one thing every day that scares you' - is now widely attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt, though I have yet to see any evidence that she ever said it and I don't believe she did. She said some things about fear, but not that thing.

I couldn't have foreseen all the good things that have followed my mother's death. The renewed energy, the surprising sweetness of grief. The tenderness I feel for strangers on walkers. The deeper love I have for my siblings and friends. The desire to play the mandolin. The gift of a visitation.