1. The Godchild's Plea
Parents have the unenviable job of having to saying no to almost everything: No, we don't scream and hit and shove; no, we don't take all the toys; no, we don't eat sprinkles on our breakfast cereal. But aunties, uncles, grandparents and godparents? These eminent personages can be the beacons of yes. Not being the kids’ parents, you can.

2. When It Can't Be Done in Dubuque
If only every day could be lived like a travel day (with access to one's own bathroom, of course)—when you have that buzzy ability to notice the sparkling other-ness of everything. Instead, and it's probably inevitable, we start to get lazy, treating our neighborhood the way we do our spouse: barely noticing changes, even forgetting what attracted us to it in the first place from wherever it was we were before. To take best advantage of where you are right now and follow the "If it can't be done in X, then I'm in..." rule—X is where you grew up, where you used to live, where you're going to live or where you hope to never live again. As in "Green-chile bagel? They sure don't have those in my hometown Chicago. Lay it on me." Or "Hike a mountain? Not really possible in Kansas, so...count me in." If nothing else, you'll have some great dinner-table-story material next time you're back in good old X.

3. To Garlic
Even on a date.

4. When You're Invited to Sunday Dinner with the Smiths
One of my main regrets in life is having said no to a delicacy known as "baby squid in its own ink." This happened 13 years ago, when an outrageously kind family in Spain's Basque country invited me to dine with them. I doubt I thought at all about how much work it was for them to put me up for the night, let alone to prepare the feast they offered. What I mostly remember is a vegetarian's panic at the lush array of regional delicacies. But now I know: Inviting an outsider to a family dinner is such a sweet variety of hospitality and trust. Whether it's a friend, boyfriend or people you barely know setting a place for you at the table, family dinners are always dos.

5. Any Chance to Ice-Skate
You're going to make a fool of yourself, and it doesn't matter. Ice-skating is made for the uncoordinated. There is nothing quite like that "deer skittering on the frozen pond" feeling to make you feel as if you're getting the most out of the puffy-breath, pink-cheeks season.

Next: Why you should say yes to going to bed early

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