Smile Time

This is just a page where I am going to list SOME of the things, and/or memories that make me smile, make me happy, make my heart sing, lift me up, make me laugh, comfort me, humble me, etc… because I feel like just looking at a list of all of those things every now and again might do wonders for my mental health when I really need a boost. I’m gonna give it a go… I will be forgetting a LOT, but will add as I remember. Forgive me if anyone that I know sees this and thinks of something they feel I should have added. My brain isn’t what it once was. I do my best.

This list will likely grow over time (at least, I HOPE it does!)

Here comes the brain dump…. in no particular order:

• Kindness
• Helping others
• Experiencing the generosity of others, far too often than I deserve, and in ways that never stop humbling me
• Making people laugh
• Early mornings/sunrise
• Being outdoors
• Breezy days
• Autumn and Winter
• Writing
• Reading (esp underneath a good shade tree in beautiful weather)
• A good cuppa
• David Bowie
• Michael Sheen
• David Tennant
• Comfy clothing (no tags, loose, cottony soft stuff…)
• Converse (loyal fan since the age of about eight)
• Books
• The Northern Lights
• Documentaries (especially European/Celtic History ones, language/linguistics ones, day-in-the-life ones, health ones, etc…)
• My birdies (Sparky, Kiwi, Lucy, Ricky, and Thurston)
• Dogs
• Cats
• Highland coos
• The Gentle Barn
• Shakespeare
• London
• Greenwich Park, particularly at 51.4796°N x 0.0068°W (the little park bench I used to perch on for hours to read, study, people watch…)
• Greenwich
• Blackheath
• Charlton Village
• Cutty Sark at Christmastime
• Charlton Athletic
• Atlanta Braves
• Yorkshire (seriously – how gorgeous!)
• Snow
• Owls
• Puffins
• Orange tulips
• Yellow daffodils
• Gnomes (or Nisse, or Tomte, etc… in Norwegian/Swedish)
• My #JannipantsPlantFam (Mostly succulents, and all named after Michael Sheen and David Tennant characters – because of course they are)
• Mid-Century Modern furniture and decor
• Scandinavian furniture and decor
• Wood-burning stoves (oh, how I wish I had one)
• Crystals, especially my selection of worry stones.
• Essential oils
• Doctor Who
• Good Omens
• My Neil Gaiman collection of books
• My Shakespeare collection of books
• Aw, hell… my ENTIRE collection of books 😂
• Lifelong learning
• Languages
• Genealogy
• My Viking DNA (I try to tap into it to summon extra strength on my bad days)
• Diving further into my Scandinavian/Northern European/Celtic heritage
• My ride-or-die friends (you know who you are)
• Learning about other cultures
• Wild bilberries / blueberries
• Strawberries
• Fun socks (Shakespeare, Wordle, Grover, Duck Tales, Where the Wild Things Are, Van Gogh, Vikings, Reading Owls, a Gladiator riding a shark, etc…)
• Petrichor
• Sandalwood
• Dry erase boards
• Meditation
• Bonsai
• All of my little Buddha statues around the house
• YouTubers who I adore: (Living the Skye Life, She Walks, She Paints, Abbie Barnes, Yes Theory, Jonna Jinten, Leena Hennigsen, Watched Walker, Dani Connor Wild, Olly Richards, Just Alex, RailCowGirl, Raising Voyagers, etc…)
• Second-hand bookstores,
• Photography
• Marvel (esp Thor/Loki/Avengers/Captain America)
• Clean bed linens
• Fluffy towels
• Healthy/Organic/Fresh foods
• Although I mostly cannot eat it anymore – authentic Indian cuisine will always be my FAVE!
• Also, the Ethiopian food stall in the Greenwich Market is to DIE FOR, and I miss it dearly…
• Sunday roast back in England…
• Facial steamers (OMG, how did I go so long before discovering these little “face saunas”?)
• Lavender lotion
• Fields of lavender
• The smell of gorse bushes
• Fields of sunflowers
• The Big Chicken in Marietta
• Mini Coopers
• Jeeps
• My old Honda MB-5
• My Spotify playlist I’ve been curating for years
• Squiffy Fox (Only a select few know Squiffy Fox… lol)
• “BOAAAAAAAT” (Jackie knows what I’m referring to here – that will always make me laugh)
• The British Library
• Terry’s Chocolate Orange (I will forever blame Alan for my addiction to those… I can’t have them anymore, but OMG…)
• Sitting up at One Tree Hill in Greenwich Park and looking out all over SE London… pondering life…
• Dave the pigeon
• Wearing my chicken costume (especially at the London Marathon, and staying in character for little kids, always clucking)
• Cookie Jam, Wordle, Quordle, Squareword, Waffle, Solitaire (those games are nice distractions when I need them)
• Taking time for self-care
• Scandinavian folk music
• Travel neck pillows
• Malas (both wrist and neck ones – I’ve even made a few!)
• Prayer wheels of all kinds!
• The Great Compassion Mantra
• Medicine Buddha Mantra
• The Metta Loving Kindness Prayer – there are many versions and variations of it, but I really like this one.
• Up-cycling stuff
• Having a good clear-out
• A nice, relaxing shower before bedtime
• Daily interactions with Brad the mailman (he’s a hoot, and it’s nice to see another human for a few seconds every day)
• My awesome physical therapists, and how much I constantly learn from them – and the way they always encourage and support me
• Witnessing amazing philanthropic actions, and ugly crying over how beautiful they are, wishing I could do things like that
• Watching children play and hearing their laughter
• Libraries – seriously – ALL the libraries… everywhere
• Old toys, especially “retro” ones from my childhood (70’s/80’s)
• Moussaka (which I cannot eat anymore, but LOVED it when Viktor made it)
• The Insight Timer App
• Embracing my own spirituality (not religion, mind you… but spiritual moments found in life and nature, acknowledging a higher power and being most appreciative of it)
• Cooler climates, where air conditioning is not needed
• Funko Pops
• My DVD collection
• Filmjölk 
• Trying to always remember to take the time to thank people who have helped me – to fully acknowledge and appreciate them, and to make sure they know how grateful I am
• My whole PATP (Professional Actors Training Program) experience… and the gang of peeps I studied with and under at Chatt State. Great times!
• All of my wonderful coursemates, peers, lecturers, coworkers, and everyone else at the University of Greenwich…
• Late nights on the 422 (especially with Louise and Jackie for the late-night chicken run… lol!)
• San Diego Comic-Con 2013 – yes, the year with THAT Loki moment… (Special times with Elizabeth, Ruby, and Kim)
• Nicaragua humanitarian/mission trip 2013 (an eye-opening look into the beautiful people of that country, who are some of the kindest and most genuine people I’ve ever met… as well as a country that possesses so much exquisite beauty – seeing Poneloya Beach with its black sand glistening at sunset is something I shall never forget)
• Every single play I have ever done – and every single person I have ever had the pleasure and honour of acting alongside… so many wonderful memories!
• Working in the University of Greenwich library – best job ever! Best co-workers ever!
• Growing up on McBurnette Rd / Council Dr – hanging with Sherri, Leslie, Clay, Travis, and Angela
• Turner’s Hill (Summers at the family homestead, staying with Grandmommy and Aunt Ellen… visiting with all the relatives, hanging with the goats and kitty cats… and wandering all over the land there – it was magical!)
• My Dad’s parents coming to visit us in Atlanta when I was little, and my grandfather pulling me around the neighbourhood in my little red wagon… and my grandmother always wanting to hear all about my day when I got home from school in the afternoons – they were so sweet! Married for over 70 years!
• Me and Mom being “partners in crime” at Christmastime every year as we went on quests for just the perfect stocking stuffers for everyone.
• Dad spending so much time after work in the evenings trying to help his rather clumsy kid be better at sports (like pitching/catching softballs, etc…)
• Dad teaching me to ride my first “big kid bike” in the front yard of our house in Marietta
• Watching birds at the bird feeders
• Crows/Ravens – so lovely… and I believe they possess so much wisdom, but only choose to share it with those who opt to pay attention
• The beautiful deer who I’ve enjoyed watching both in the UK and stateside
• My lovely little fox who I used to see at the bus stand on Friday nights after work in Greenwich
• Cobblestone streets in London
• Taking a walk in the rain (hopefully one day I will be able to walk again and can make that happen)
• Watching the rain fall – just nice, steady rain (not storms)… it’s mesmerising to me to watch it come down. So calming…
• British telly. Full stop.
• Pillows. No joke, I am a pillow hoarder. I have a zillion on my bed and another zillion on my sofa and love seat. And in other chairs in the house. And everywhere. All the pillows, please!
• The colour periwinkle (and most blues, greens, and purples, really…)
• Alan’s “I’m Made of Milk” moment at Oliver’s Jazz Bar. 😂
• Sam pulling faces at me from the bus as he passed by my flat on the way home from work. 😂
• Epic Monopoly nights with Viktor – so much fun, and so much junk food!
• Leaving “googly eyes” at random places in Greenwich before I moved back to the States
• New Year’s Eve in my little room in Devonport House (student halls) with Alan and Claire when we were all recovering from the flu – subdued, but still lovely to spend it with friends as we watched the London celebration both via streaming over my laptop and… out the window of my little room.
• Summer fun on the Miller’s houseboat as a teenager.
• So much fun with my little dearly departed doggies… all of whom were amazing (Duke, Cookie, Toby, Elijah, Max, and Bailey)
• Kayaking on Lake Allatoona when I lived there (it was so nice being able to just pop my boat in the water and paddle around – sunrises were the best!)
• All the garage bands I played in with friends over the years… fun times!
• Skateboarding like the wild child that I was… I loved boarding!
• Cycling the Battlefield on TMABITW (The Most Awesome Bike In The World – my Raleigh bike)
• Peanuts. Specifically, Snoopy and Woodstock. Woodstock is actually my spirit animal.
• Classic Nintendo… and for that matter, Atari 2600… cheesy, but fun. Video games now are too complicated for me 😂
• My old yellow 49cc Scooter
• McKay’s in Chattanooga (the most gimongernormous used book store I have ever seen in my life)
• All the record stores I worked in back in the day… Turtles (multiple stores), Record Bar, and Camelot Music
• My stuffed animals
• Solar-powered “dancing” toys… I have a sombrero-wearing cactus, a “lucky cat” (Maneki-Neko), a little Buddhist monk tapping a singing bowl, and a Buddhist prayer wheel…
• Olliedollie and Alliedollie
• Fun times working and hanging out at The Mad Italian
• Going to see The Graham Norton Show in London with Alan and Sam
• Hearing Big Ben chime – it never got old to me.
• Coriolanus at the Donmar with Tom Hiddleston.
• Hamlet at the Barbican with Benedict Cumberbatch.
• The Entertainer at the Garrick with Sir Kenneth Branagh (seeing him perform on stage was high atop my bucket list!)
• Beans on toast (wish I could still safely eat that stuff… lol!)
• Breakfasts at the little cafe under our flat in Charlton Village
• Gluten-free fish night (Wednesdays) at Oliver’s Fish & Chips up in Belsize Park
• My old Suzuki GS450L
• Graduation day from uni – one of my proudest days, even though I had no one there to watch me walk.
• My old VW from high school, a very used 1971 VW Fastback, midnight blue with white vinyl interior. The horn was hooked up backward so instead of honking, it let out a very loud, gasping groan. My friends and I painted it up with neon-coloured poster paints. 😂
• The Ninja Turtles tee shirt gang in Londonderry, NH… (Angela, Michele, Jennifer, and myself)
• Also… sledding and snow skiing in New Hampshire pretty much rocked!
• Walking all over London to see Christmas lights in various places with Claire and Viktor in November 2017 before I had to move back to the States.
• Dover with Sam and Alan – Seeing the White Cliffs of Dover was a bucket list item for me!
• Christmas 2015 with Alan’s family, and Christmas 2016 with Josie’s family
• Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre – many a trip there…
• Handing in my undergraduate dissertation on Hamlet and his Mental Health. I had worked on it for a full year and was terrified, but proud of my work.
• My nerdy Norwegian folk art dishes from the 1970s that I’ve purchased piece by piece over the years
• Swedish dishcloths
• That feeling of accomplishment and contentment I get whenever all of my laundry is caught up, folded, and put away.
• Onesies! I actually have a fair few – a pineapple, a dragon, Tenth Doctor from Doctor Who, The Tardis, a large Union Jack, a penguin, Fair Isle, a Yeti, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and more that I am probably forgetting at the moment…
• Spinner rings (I have a couple of stainless steel ones with lovely mantras etched on them)
• Dictionaries of all sorts… and all languages…

More to come… but can I just say that even adding to this list is a big serotonin boost! I highly recommend making a list such as this…