Hey, it's Maggie. This week, we are revisiting some of our favorite poems and reflections from the season so far.

We'll be back on Monday, December 15th, with new episodes.

I'm Maggie Smith, and this is the slowdown.

A big part of loving someone is their idiosyncrasies.

I don't mean tolerating them,

or putting up with them, or trying to overlook them. I mean delighting in them. I mean taking

real pleasure in the way someone laughs or speaks, or the way they tell a story, or the way they cook or eat.

These are the little things you'll miss about them when they're away or after they're gone.

A big part of loving someone, whether they're a friend or a family member or someone you're

romantically involved with,

is embracing them exactly as they are, not hoping they'll change or waiting for them to change,

or, worst of all, trying to change them yourself.

My children tease me all the time about my quirks, my loud, cackling laugh,

my childlike and very uncool excitement about the natural world. The way I pronounce certain words,

is it basal or basal? And my propensity to curse like a sailor,

but then say language when they do the same. They tease me, and I let them, because I know

they do it out of love. I've never gotten the sense that they wished I were

different. So what if I misplace my car keys and phone several times a day? So what if I make

every meal a little spicier than it needs to be? So what if I quote Ferris Bueller's day off and the big Lebowski more than

anyone should? My quirks are part of what make me me. That's true of all of us. And we need the people

in our lives to love us, quirks, and all.

I hope I'm that kind of mother to them, and that kind of friend and partner and sister and daughter throughout my life.

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