All The Little Things That Make Me Smile

"The Anchors are things that occupy my mind and make me feel good temporarily."

- Ned Vizzini

Because my last post was so depressing, I'm going to write a more upbeat post this time. The title is rather self-explanatory. Things that make me smile or at least things that I appreciate and enjoy even if I don't smile. Just small, ordinary things. A friend actually inspired me to write about this. I haven't asked if I can use her name so I won't but she knows who she is! Anyway. Let's get this show on the road!

- Cats. Any cats, really. But my cats are great.
- Delicious food. Soups, pizzas, pastries, all sorts of yummy stuff.
- Good TV. At the moment, I'm enjoying Humans and My Mad Fat Diary alongside my usual diet of The Simpsons/Hollyoaks/The Goldbergs.
- Spending time with my family when no one's angry.
- Starbucks hot chocolate.
- Reading new books.

- Sniffing new books (I love that new book smell, OK?!).
- Looking at the clouds.
- Playing games like The Sims. With cheats, duh.
- Jigsaw puzzles.
- My favourite music. Currently, I'm enjoying 'She's Lost Control' by Joy Division.
- Getting answers right when watching quiz shows.
- Spotting a spelling error. After the initial anger that I'm unemployed while these shoddy proofreaders have jobs they perform poorly at, I feel smug and self-satisfied.

- "Dad" jokes. Y'know, those really cheesy puns that make you groan because they're so bad but so good at the same time? Yeah, those.
- Money. Yeah, I'm greedy.
- My bed because it's warm and cosy.
- Completing a Sudoku that was meant to take 30 minutes in 8 minutes.
- Winning games like chess or Trivial Pursuit.
- Talking to friends online.
- Cuddling with Pusheen.
- Frozen.

- My new hairstyle. Pretty bitchin', eh?!
- When English people think that the haggis is a wild animal.
- Guessing who the perpetrator is in Law And Order: Special Victims Unit and hearing the coveted words "You were right" from my brother.
- Wearing awesome clothes and knowing my outfit is awesome.
- That clean feeling after a shower.
- Getting compliments.
- Sleeping. I can't say if I enjoy being asleep because I'm asleep at the time but I certainly do a lot of sleeping.

- The fact that the cool raptor in Jurassic World is named Blue, like me.
- When someone genuinely cares about me and wants to help. I was ignored for so long in favour of other people and so when someone cares, I am pathetically grateful.
- Friends who don't piss off when they don't need anything from me.
- Big cats. I can't pet them but they're pretty to look at.
- Creepy stories. Love 'em.

- Plasticine, Play-Doh, modelling clay, anything of that ilk.
- Piercings and tattoos.

That's all I can think of at the moment but hey, it's quite a lot! I have many things that can at least erase some of the persistent sadness that seems to be following me lately. It's learning to appreciate the little things rather than waiting for one big thing to make it all better. I don't think little things cure depression, by any means, but it gives you focus and makes you feel good for a little while.

Unfortunately, in life, there are no quick fixes so rather than trying to fix our lives or ourselves when doing so might not be possible or worth the cost, it's sometimes better to accept when something can't be changed and trying to be thankful for whatever small mercies life casts in your direction. Easier said than done but hey, it's better than being eaten up by bitterness and self-loathing. So give it a try.