What makes you smile?

Thanks for the thread (if you‘re still reading this)! And thank you, Magenta_Green for reviving it! Here are some things that recently made me smile:

My dog (Kalle, my beautiful and kind lab)

A friend gifting me a bunch of medical books her local library would have thrown out otherwise

My favourite nature documentations (mostly about whales and elephants)

Rewatching some Star Trek - Next Generation

Today I cried tears of joy because I finally had a completely free day and the weather was so nice that I spent hours outside walking my wonderful Kalle and listening to the same song over and over

A classmate that keeps asking me questions about medicine and biology even though she could just research this stuff online (she knows how much I love info dumping about this stuff)

Reading some of the poems and short stories I wrote several years ago

I really needed this, thanks! And here are some book recommendations (even though you can never go wrong with LotR and it is far too late by now… three years are quite a while): Good Omens (one of my all time favourites), The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods, Dune by Frank Herbert, What if by Randall Munroe (light entertainment) and honestly rereading stuff like Percy Jackson, Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter always does the trick for me.

My dog hugging me when he senses I am upset or distressed.
When somebody makes me feel accepted.
Soft fluffy material - on blankets or plushies or cardigans or cushions!
Capybara videos.
Animals.
Blowing bubbles.
Finding a good stick or rock.
Solving a puzzle.
Reading - uninterrupted.
Having no 'to-do's' or expectations from others.
The smell of nag champa, peppermint oil, my dog's paws, my dog's ears, vanilla, Palma violets.
Watching trees in a breeze.
Grey, dull, moody weather days.
Heavy Rain.
Being wrapped up in a big, heavy, cosy blanket.
Going to bed knowing I don't have to get up to an alarm the next day.
Seeing somebody smile to themselves, I saw a teen at a bus stop recently he had headphones on and all of a sudden he started grinning and swaying his body - I think a great song must have come on. Recently a lady was walking past she looked at her phone then the largest smile appeared that filled her face, I imagined she had received a nice message.
When a baby or toddler smiles at me.
When I complete a task or tick everything off my 'to-do' list.

What makes me smile? - Painting, being creative, music, little bit of cooking if it's not too big a meal. My family, especially my mum, she's my everything always makes me smile just by being her.

Em x

My sister is 27, ten years older than myself, but she is still a teenager at heart. I find it so important having a best friend in my family as I really struggle making friends myself and it means there is always someone there you don't have to mask around. Your sister sounds really sweet!

What breed is your dog? I really love fluffy dogs as they are so wonderful to cuddle. I like to spend hours grooming my horse but he is malting at the moment so his hair gets everywhere! Yes, I'm definitely going to get a dog when I'm older, my favourite are collies.

This is a nice conversation to join after taking a break from this forum for a little while (like everything I needed to find a balance for amount of time spent on here).

I love spending time pottering around the garden. This is newly discovered for me, but is very relaxing.

Woodwork is something I get a great amount of satisfaction from. I’m completely self taught and it's all pretty basic stuff, but puts a smile on my face when I make something unique.

I collect rocks and minerals, so I like finding new additions to my collection and learning about minerals.

Spending time with my dog always makes me smile too. She is amazing and always always seems to know when I need support.

A great idea for a conversation, so thank you for this.

Aww that's so sweet. It sounds like the two of you have a really special bond. Are you the oldest or is she? Your walks together sound so lovely. My sister is my best friend, I adore her and would do absolutely anything for her. She's still young but she acts so old, she really loves our Gran and I think she tries to be her at times lol.

She is so sweet, love to have a cuddle with her especially when I'm feeling sad and lonely. Awh I hope you get a dog one day! They make the best friends :) Yes it is.

Your pet badger sounds so sweet. I would really like to have a pet badger someday as well... I've seen videos of house-trained ones on youtube. They really do make you smile!

Thanks for the recommendation of Riftwar btw, it sounds like my kinda thing!

I have a really close relationship with my sister too, though she is quite a lot older than me, almost like a second mum at times, but we like to go on long walks together, especially on the hills when it's windy. How old is your sister?

Your dog Eve sounds sweet... I love dogs a lot though I don't have one of my own. Is that a photo of her on your profile pic?

A very good idea when so much is negative. 

I agree that it is a beautiful month. I plant flowers, mostly grown from seed wherever there are spaces and quite a few flowering at the moment. I also enjoy other people's gardens when I go for a walk. I prefer a quiet time Sunday morning is particularly good. 

Recently I was amazed at how many different bird songs I heard and some very enjoyable like the thrush and Robin.

I also enjoy watching the birds visiting my garden and deciding on characters by whether confident, constantly on the move etc 

And yes I get excited when I see something others might have missed.

Being and connecting with other autistic people.

1. outside yes, if away from people

2. Since we moved from granpa's house in the village into flat in a block of flats in the nearest city I was not allowed to have any pet, so I have imaginary pet a badger name Badger.

3. I thought everyone does 

4. if you enjoy LoTR so much you might like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Riftwar_Cycle

5. Recent discovery undergoing beta tests

Nothing anymore

Watching squirrels play in the trees outside my flat 

This is a lovely idea thinking of reasons to smile. I had a therapist/doctor suggest the same to me a few years ago when I was in hospital. 

Things that make me smile and I enjoy are,

Being with my sister, we have such a special friendship.

Being outside, usually I'm a little anxious so sometimes just go in the garden. I love the feeling of the wind blowing my hair.

My dog Eve makes me smile every time I see her.

I go through spells when I can be a bit of a night owl/insomniac. When this happens, I like the fact that everything seems so peaceful. 

Music, talking to my friends and Belfast Girls on YouTube. 

Baking, cooking, riding my bike, talking to women.