1. whenever you can, say YES

2.  when you leave a Blizzard on the counter it does not change it’s shape or volume, only temperature

3.  books are, in fact, better when you’ve broken their spines and written all over their pages

4.  you will never regret being in photographs, no matter how fat you thought you were that day

5.  if people have come to your house to visit you, they absolutely do not care how clean it is

6.  it is not good to bail your kids out of their messes, or to prevent them from disappointment, or to falsely praise them

7.  traveling is the one thing that will make you understand how insignificant you are (and by you, I mean me)

8.  people in positions of power and leadership are just like the rest of us – just guessing most of the time

9.  people will break your heart and redeem your hope every single day

10. some truly important attributes are these:  show initiative, talk less, be generous with your possessions, smile freely, ask thoughtful questions, drink good vodka