DEAR HARRIETTE: I have a sister-in-law I no longer speak to due to the fact that she thought she was entitled to my deceased mother’s belongings. My mother died of old age about a year ago and didn’t leave a will, so my brother, sister and I had to divide her belongings. My siblings and I didn’t have issues with this task, but my sister-in-law caused problems.

I wanted the dining room table because we grew up eating our meals around it, and I had many fond memories. However, my sister-in-law wanted it because she was remodeling their kitchen and thought it would look good in their house. My brother was indifferent about the table and didn’t care whether he got it. We started arguing about it and eventually came to the decision that I would get the table. For the remainder of the division of my mother’s things, she wouldn’t look at me or talk to me. It’s been this way for over a year. Is there any way we can resolve this when she won’t speak to me? -- Inheritance

DEAR INHERITANCE: People become oddly territorial when it comes to the belongings of the deceased. That’s why a will is so important, and I recommend that everyone have one -- even if you think you don’t own any possessions of value. When you are gone, everything that you owned can seem valuable to your grieving loved ones.

That said, since you are keenly aware of what happened and feel bad about it, you can be proactive. Reach out to your sister-in-law. Tell her that you would like to reconnect with her. Address the elephant in the room. Say that you know you two fell out over your mother’s table. You can express your sorrow that this possession caused a fracture in your relationship with her. Tell her you would like to rekindle your bond. Life is too short and precious for the two of you to still be at odds. See what she says.

DEAR HARRIETTE: Five of my friends are about to stay with me for a week for vacation. I miss them a lot and am excited to see them, but I know that I tend to get irritable on long trips, especially as the host. I live in New York City, so they want to go out and do tourist activities that do not appeal to me. I am also very independent, more so at home than at school where they know me. I am worried that I might get overwhelmed or irritable and want to spend time alone, but I know I can’t just leave them. Do you have any suggestions as to how I can keep my cool for a week? If I do get irritated, how should I address it with them so that they do not think I am really mad? -- Girls Trip

DEAR GIRLS TRIP: You have to get your head right. Your job will be tour guide and host for the week -- and it’s just one week. You can do it. Get up a little early and take a walk each day by yourself to get some alone time. Tell your friends that you need a bit of chill time daily so that they understand if you go off by yourself for a bit. If you adopt the attitude of being their guide, you can make the trip fun and adventurous for them. Just remember that it is only for a few days.

(Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions toaskharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)

DEAR HARRIETTE: This summer is the busiest one I have ever had. I am in a wedding, working, trying to spend time with my friends and family, and also leaving some time to rest throughout all of the activities I have planned. I am starting to realize how expensive it is to manage and pay for all of these aspects of my summer. I want to save up some money before I go back to school, but since my job is part-time, I am worried that I am not making enough to enjoy my summer the way I planned and still have a significant amount of savings.

I picked up reading again to have a hobby that does not require going out and spending money, but I still have to buy the books. I also do not really have time to cook, so I often order takeout, adding another expense to my list. Do you have any suggestions as to how I might limit my spending while still getting to carry out my summer plans? -- Expensive Summer

DEAR EXPENSIVE SUMMER: You are busy! It sounds like your activities are endless, though your bank account is limited.

It is time to get creative. You love to read. Now is the time to get yourself a library card. You can borrow as many books as you like from your local library at no cost to you. You just have to remember to return them on time. Though you say you don’t have time to cook, I strongly recommend that you make time. Takeout food is expensive, and if you have it delivered, the cost rises astronomically. Finally, ask your employer if you can add hours to your schedule. You probably don’t want to work full-time, as that will eat away at your play time, but a few more hours a week could help you to save a little.

DEAR HARRIETTE: I recently got out of a yearlong relationship that ended on less-than-good terms. My ex goes to school in Europe, and I go to school in New York, so we were already tackling the long distance and dealing with the stress it put on our relationship so early. I found out from some of his old friends that he had cheated on me. I never got confirmation from him as to what happened, so I brushed it off as a rumor.

Now we’re broken up, and he has already posted about another girl on social media. I’m starting to believe that the rumors were true. One of my issues with him was that he never acknowledged me publicly, except around friends. So for him to post about someone so soon hurts. Is it fair for me to say something to him to get closure if he is with someone else now? How can I stop feeling like it is my fault that he acted so poorly toward me? -- Insecure Over Ex

DEAR INSECURE OVER EX: You have to let him go. Nothing he will say will ease the blow of your breakup. Given that he didn’t acknowledge you publicly before, he surely won’t give you the respect you crave now. Some people behave badly. That is not your fault. What you can do in the future is to notice the signs earlier. If someone isn’t treating you the way you want and deserve to be treated, don’t stay.

(Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)

DEAR HARRIETTE: I recently went on a girls trip with my best friends for a week. Two of my friends are recently single, and we found a trending TikTok audio that played on the fact that the last time we were all together, they were both still in relationships, and we made our own video. No names were mentioned, nor was anything negative said about either of their exes, but the best friend of one of the exes spammed the TikTok with disrespectful comments about us as a group, starting a public dispute online. He later called one of my friends to talk to us about it and how he thought that it was wrong of us to put his best friend’s business on the internet for everyone to see. We did not agree with him that it was wrong, and he did not understand why we took offense to his comments when he could have called before slandering us. We did not take the video down, but the comment thread was deleted. How should we handle this situation so that we do not lose our friendship with him without making it seem like we had ill intentions about the video? -- Online Drama

DEAR ONLINE DRAMA: While it may seem that the internet is this huge place that is anonymous, it actually isn’t. People who know you are typically the first to see your posts. Therefore, you don’t really have to name names for viewers to recognize exactly who you are talking about and take your comments personally. That’s exactly what happened in your case. What you thought was innocent landed as either a personal attack or rubbing the breakups in their faces. You did not intend that reaction, but you now see the impact of the unintentional consequences.

When you have all calmed down, you may want to check in with the friend who reached out. Apologize for hurting anybody’s feelings and explain that that wasn’t the intent. Tell him that you really did think you were just having lighthearted fun, but you now know that your video hurt someone's feelings. Say you hope you can remain friends.

DEAR HARRIETTE: I recently read a book that made me really upset. There were multiple instances of domestic abuse, and I had no clue that the book would feature such intense themes when I started reading it. I thought that there would have been a trigger warning of some sort, but there was not. Normally I do not get emotional about books, but this one struck a nerve that I did not know I had. It also made it hurt more when I read at the end that it was based on a true story -- specifically the story of the writer’s parents. How can I compartmentalize what I read in books so I am not completely floored when I read something deeply upsetting? -- Sad Book

DEAR SAD BOOK: First, you should write a review of this book on the site where you bought it or on another book review site and express your concern that there was no indication of the violent content. Suggest that there be warnings included with books to let readers know if something disturbing is included.

Beyond that, consider a book just like a movie or TV show. It is not your life. It is something that you are observing. You can allow yourself to be affected by it momentarily but decide that it will be a fleeting experience. That doesn’t mean that you will forget it, but your attitude can allow you to live in the moment with the book and give you the freedom to move on when you finish that last page.

(Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)