Now whenever I hear of a friend who's lost a loved one, I no longer call with the polite offer, "If there's anything I can do…" Instead I try to think of one specific task that suits that man's need, like taking the dog to the boarding kennel, or house sitting during the funeral.

After that, you can search for house sitting assignments and contact house owners by email.

Then I lucked into house sitting for a family friend in Paris, France for three months, which gave me the opportunity to write hip restaurant reviews and sip coffee casually for four hours a day.