Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. The older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.

Do one thing every day that scares you... Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own... Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.

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

The first gay person I ever met was surely not the first gay person I ever met.

Don't waste time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind.

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.

The Thanksgiving meal should not be treated as a grad school exam or an Olympic dive. Whatever you cook will be good enough - unless you make that Twinkie turkey stuffing we're suddenly hearing too much about.