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I'm Maggie Smith, and this is the slowdown. I'm not a secretive person.

In fact, I'm known in my life for being open, but I do value my privacy.

Maybe that sounds a little strange, given that I've published a memoir and spend more time than I probably

should online. But it's true. There are parts of my life and parts of me that I don't share with

others. I like keeping some things to myself, for myself.

We can never know everything about another human being, no matter how much time we spend with them.

I know my parents, my sisters, and my own children deeply, but not wholly.

I don't know all of the contours of their minds, all of their thoughts and fears and dreams,

all of what they hope for themselves.

I can't access at all.

If it's true that we can never know for certain where we stand with another human being,

then it's a risk to have a close friend, to fall in love, to build a life with another person. Like swimming in the

ocean, you can see only so far and so deep, and the rest is a mystery. It's a risk, of course. But I think the risk is worth it. I could be fearful or cynical about everything I don't know. I could worry and ruminate, be suspicious, be wary. But I've surrounded myself with people I can trust, so I love that there

is always more to uncover about them. I see it as an opportunity over time to learn more and more

about the people I love most.

It's exciting to know that I can dive deep into another human being and never touch bottom.

...