1.  Have A Partner - After my grandmother would finish a bit, she’d pitch to my unwitting grandfather with a “right Van?”  Never looking up from the paper, he’d grumble out a “sure.”  It was the perfect button.  Over sixty years of marriage, they developed impeccable timing.   

2.  Embrace The Non Sequitur - We were having brunch before I moved to Germany.  During a lull in the conversation, my grandmother said, “Be sure to freeze some of this pumpkin soup into cubes and take it with you.  You never know when you’ll get locked in an attic.”  Then she went right back to her coffee.

3.  Don’t Shy Away From Racier Material - See above.  It’s a non sequitur and Holocaust joke all rolled into one.

4.  Don’t Get Distracted While Performing - One Thanksgiving, she loudly farted mid-story and kept right on talking without missing a beat.  Pure brilliance.

4.  Be The Character The Audience Has Grown To Love - Was she a bit odd?  Sure.  Did she play it up when others were around?  You bet. 

5.  Find Humor In The Pain - She came from a big family without much money and had a bigger family with even less money.  She could have been miserable.  Instead she was weird and wonderful.  Maybe it was just a mask she wore to protect us.  But that leads to the most important lesson:

6.  Respect Your Audience - Their lives are hard, too.  They came to be entertained…so do your best to entertain them. 

RIP, Grandma.  I love you.