In a previous life,

My wife, Amanda Stuart Goldsmith, was an octogenarian, living in a small English village in the 1800's named "Dilber's Crossing on the High" or something like that (the village, not the year was named that--for all you grammar fans who love dangling modifiers).

Here are some reasons why:

1. We have a Netflix subscription, and, instead of getting new releases of films and tv shows, we get "All Creatures Great and Small" (a country vet in the 1930's in Yorkshire), "Are You Being Served?" (a 1970's BBC sitcom), and "Miss Marple Mysteries" (Agatha Christie movies).

2. Amanda owns a Kromski spinning wheel, which she modified herself, and takes fleece (that is fancy for WOOL from a sheep) and spins it into yarn. She also uses tools like "knitty-knotties," and "ball winders," which, I promise you, are not at all as hot as they sound.

3. At any given time, she has 6 or 7 knitting projects going--by "going," I mean that they are "started," and, according to her, that is the important thing (ask Ortiz how his socks are coming along!)

4. One of her favorite restaurants is "The Villager," which is only crowded during the breakfast hours on the first of every month (that is when the old people get their social security checks . ..so this tells you of this demographic)

5. She reads, voraciously, self-nicknamed "junky mysteries" like "Lemon Meringue Murder," and "The Chocolate Cookie Murders" and "Thyme of Death: a cooking mystery," and "The Irish Cottage Murders." You get the point.

6. She loves the whole process and culture of tea, gardening, and composting

7. She prefers "A Prarie Home Companion," Lawrence Welk, and "MASH" over "Real World," American Idol, and The Daily Show

And, I absolutely love all these things about my wife, and I wouldnt want her to change anything.

Thank God for idiosyncrasies--those eccentric, odd, random, and curious behaviors, preferences, and tendencies we all own--all of which make us the individuals who we are. The paradox, of course, is that the idiosyncrasies that people possess are often the banes of our own existences; other people's quibs are the things that aggravate us--sometimes VERY much.

But I've realized, in my ongoing quest to rid myself of the negative energy that pervades my daily life, that, although people have these "special" tendencies, I would be lost WITHOUT these people DOING the things that make them THEM; the things that truly remind me that I am home.

And everyone wants to be home.

Wouldnt you miss if what people did, that you found annoying, suddenly stopped, rendering everything around you static and lifeless? Although sometimes I wish I married a real 29 year old modern woman, I wouldnt want to change the essence of what Amanda IS to me. I couldnt imagine life without:

-My dad calling, leaving a message because we arent home, and then calling 4 or 5 times after that, still while we arent home, just to "check" to see if we are, in fact, home now

-My mom torturing my ears with years and years of "Brenda Lee's Greatest Hit" ("s" left off on purpose) or "The Best of Patsy Cline" played loudly, on cassette, in the tape deck of our grey caravan growing up (we were growing up, not the caravan).

-Lynne not calling, daily, starting her message with "Hi kids . . .its 'just me.'"

-George taking at least 2 hours to run to Hannaford for, seemingly 4 items

-Kristin not asking for snacks or chocolate to be ready whenever she comes up

-Jonathan buying yet another car, bike part, CD, six pack, or Brazilian prostitute

-Mel not ordering extra blue cheese

-Anthony owning stock in Starbucks products

The list, of course, goes on and on; I could write more if I had the time or energy. However, for as much as I could write about the idiosyncrasies of others, I think I could write twice as much about myself and my quirks (I could probably think of 4 or 5 . . .hundred). In my life, I hope to be loved for my idiosyncrasies, all the weird things about me, the things that make me innately who I am.

For that is the greatest kind of love.