Why hello reader! Did you get my title reference? No? Here, let's try again. I'll give you the  full quote:
"Happiness can be found in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light."
Does it sound familiar? 
Does it ring any bells?
Are you wishing for the hundred-thousandth time that you would have received a letter to Hogwarts when you were 11?
Well if you didn't get it after reading the quote my last statement surly gave it away. Of course I'm referencing Harry Potter and the phenomenal J.K. Rowling. :)
Although I know not all of you out there are Harry Potter fans, I feel like this quote exemplifies the way that a lot of us try to live our lives. In essence, I think this quote speaks to how bad things will happen and how we have the decision to to either let them consume us (remain in the darkness) or to remind ourselves of the good in our life by focusing on the positives (turning on the light).  Whether you agree with this or not, I have decided that I've been bombarded with too much darkness lately. Every day on the news we learn about another unnecessary loss of life, political scandal, shooting, terror attack/threat, natural disaster, etc, etc. The list goes on... With this post, I'm choosing to focus on the light and to focus on the positive. 
If you know me, you know that I am a fan of weird/random facts. What I'm going to share with you tonight is a list of random facts which are sure to hit you right in the feels. So sit back, relax, eat some popcorn, and maybe have tissues at the ready. Maybe not in that order, but you get the idea. :) I hope that this post leaves you feeling better than you did when you started it.

​JORDAN'S FUN LIST OF FACTS TO MAKE YOU SMILE: WITH (occasional) COMMENTARY

1. Every year, hundreds of new trees grow because of squirrels forgetting where they buried their nuts.
2. There is a basketball court on the top floor of the U.S. Supreme Court Building. It's known as the "highest court in the land."
3. Even if they've never been able to witness it themselves, blind people smile when they are happy. Smiling is a basic human instinct.
4. Wayne Allwine and Russi Taylor, who respectively voiced Mickey and Minnie Mouse, were married in real life.
5. The Roman Emperor Caligula once declared war on Neptune, the god of the seas. His men ran to the ocean and stabbed at the water.
   1. Caligula then declared victory, and commanded his men to collect seashells as war trophies.
6. The voice of Winnie the Pooh and Tigger, Jim Cummings, calls children's hospitals in his spare time to cheer up sick children.
7. There's a prison in the state of Washington that offers inmates pet cats for rehabilitation.
8. A group of bunnies is called a fluffle
9. Sea horses mate for life and travel holding each other's tails.
10. Worms communicate by snuggling.
11. Somewhere, someone is having the best day of their life.
    1. Hope it’s you! J
12. Seventeen-year-old Jackie Mitchell, one of the first female pitchers in professional baseball, struck out both Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in 1931.
13. During the Christmas Truce of 1914, German and British soldiers played a game of soccer in the "no man's land" between trenches.
14. There have been studies that show that goats, like us, have accents.
15. Male pups will sometimes let female pups "win" when they play-fight so they can get to know them better.
    1. And they say chivalry is dead!
16. Cats bring you dead animals because they think you're just a crappy cat that can't survive on its own.
17. There is no angry way to say the word "bubbles."
    1. And you just tried to, didn’t you? Don’t worry, I did too. :)
18. Americans eat 100 acres of pizza per day.
19. A 6-year-old applied for a job at a railroad museum and was hired as its director of fun.
20. There is an uninhabited island called Pig Beach in the Bahamas where pigs swim around all day.
    1. I’ve known about his island for YEARS…I follow their Instagram page…anyone want to go on a trip? ;) (But really, who’s down?)
21. There are more public libraries than McDonald’s locations in the US.
22. Mr. Rogers personally replied to every piece of fan mail that he ever received.
23. Some universities use puppy rooms to fight stress.
    1. Where was this when I was in college!?
24. There are vending machines in Istanbul that feed stray dogs in exchange for the recycling a bottle.
25. Scotland’s national animal is the unicorn.
26. In April 1930, the BBC reported that there was no news that day, and played piano music instead.
27. Research at the University of North Carolina suggests that cuddling actually reduces the risk of heart disease; it releases oxytocin, a feel-good hormone.
    1. And this is why I’m a hugger. :)
28. Every year, the Netherlands sends 20,000 tulip bulbs to Canada in recognition of the role Canadian troops played in the liberation of the Netherlands during World War II.
29. Charlie Chaplin once participated in a Charlie Chaplin-lookalike contest at a San Francisco theater…he didn't win.
30. If you pass an electric current through a pickle it will glow in the dark.
31. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest snowflake ever recorded measured 15 inches across.
32. Volunteers once formed a human wall to help baby loggerhead sea turtles get to the ocean on the Caribbean island of Bonaire.
    1. Teamwork makes the dream work!
33. There are window washers who dress up as superheroes to cheer up sick kids in hospitals.
34. A group of women in Germantown, Tennessee, call themselves the 9 Nanas. They bake treats for those who are in need and leave them as gifts. They’ve been doing it for 37 years.
35. Alexander Graham Bell originally wanted people to greet each other on the telephone by saying “ahoy!”
36. Right now, somewhere a baby is discovering bubbles for the first time.
    1. I can just hear the baby giggles through the screen.
37. Think of the technology you own today. We’re living in the future people dreamed of.
38. The Kingdom of Bhutan uses “Gross National Happiness” as an important national measurement.
39. There’s a superhero with a hearing aid called ‘Blue Ear’. He was created by Marvel Comics to encourage a little boy to wear his own!
40. At 16 years old, environmental activist Jadav Payeng started planting trees on a barren sandbar in India back in 1979. He now lives on a 1,300 acre forest that he planted which is also the home to tigers, rhinos, deer, elephants, and apes.
41. According to Swiss law, any sociable animal aren’t allowed to be kept alone as doing so is considered animal abuse.
42. There is a preschool in Japan that is designed to collect rainwater into one giant puddle for kids to play in.
    1. Can they make adult playgrounds a thing yet?
43. When rabbits get really happy they start to jump around in one spot, this move is called a binky.
44. Polar bears clean their fur by face-planting in the snow and pushing themselves along with their back legs.
45. Instead of guide dogs, people who are visually impaired can also have tiny horses as their guides.
46. Welsh folklore states that corgis were the preferred method of transport for fairies.
47. Cows have best friends.
48. A bloodhound in Alabama went outside to pee one day, accidentally joined a half marathon and then finished in 7th place.
49. Norway once knighted a penguin.
50. No matter how old you get, there will always be something you haven’t tried yet.
    1. Take your life as an opportunity to cut down on this list!

Well friend, you made it through! Thank you for indulging in one of my quirky interests. Hopefully you not only learned something, but that something helped turn that frown upside down!
Enjoy the rest of your day, night, week, whatever you are experiencing right now! Now it's your turn to pass on a good deed and make someone else smile! :) Until next time.
-Jordan


I was always told to credit my sources, so thank you to the following authors and sites for allowing me to create this awesome list!
https://www.buzzfeed.com/awesomer/facts-that-will-make-you-feel-incredibly-happy
https://www.popsugar.com/smart-living/Facts-Make-You-Smile-32288928
https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/smart-living/fun-facts-to-make-you-smile/ss-BBKtJid
http://boredomtherapy.com/happy-facts/
https://www.boredpanda.com/happy-facts/
https://blazepress.com/2017/01/the-22-happiest-facts-ever-that-will-make-your-day/

"After all this time?"
"Always."

Good afternoon, morning, or evening reader. Confused with how I started this post? Let me fill you in. Throughout the Harry Potter series we are lead to believe that the character, Severus Snape, is an evil, egotistical, grudge holding villain\. Those who are truly fans grow to really loathe him and secretly hope for his demise as the books progress. It is not until we near the end of the books that we discover the true nature and significance of his presence. 
You see, Severus Snape had grown up falling in love with his childhood friend. At one point she may have almost loved him in return, but through circumstances and life choices this woman went on to become Harry's mother. Despite no longer being romantically available, Snape's feelings do not cease to exist. He cannot turn them off like a light switch, and they ultimately lead to his converting his true loyalty from Voldemort forever. 
While Snape struggled to hide his true bias against Harry because of his father, he did everything in his power to do right by Lily in her death. Protecting her child and working against the return to power of the Dark Lord, We arrive at the pivotal moment in his story while observing his memories through the pensive. When Dumbledore reveals that Harry must die for Voldemort to cease to exist, Snape becomes emotional. Dumbledore asks if he's actually grown to care for Harry, to which he responds with a patronus that is the same shape Harry's mothers was. Following with the quotation we see at the beginning of this post. 
Those words prove that Lily Potter was the meaning and purpose behind all of Snape's actions. She was his one and only true love and even in death, she motivates him to do the right thing and be his best person. He could have created a life with someone else, but his love for her was more significant and powerful than settling for the "next best thing."
Obviously this situation is highly unrealistic in real life, but it has still managed to catch my hopelessly romantic heart. It is human nature to want to be connected to others, but it is stories such as Snape that make me long for that relationship that is wholehearted and all encompassing. 
To switch gears a little reader, let me give you some background for how this search has gone for me. I have had three boyfriends in my entire lifetime. Two of which were back in high school, and then one very serious boyfriend in college. Due to how the college relationship ended, I have developed some insecurities such as difficulty allowing myself to be vulnerable around people, trust issues, struggle to accept love from others,and an immediate/unintentional categorizing of people into the friend zone. This has ultimately culminated in my being single for six years. 
Usually when I tell people that information they get that big-eyed shock face and just ask, "How!?" or "WHAT!? Why?" Reader if I knew that I probably wouldn't be single. ;) That isn't to say I haven't had opportunities.  The closest I came to being a relationship during that time was probably right as my relationship in college was falling apart. I met a truly remarkable human being and I'll admit reader I screwed that one up. I was young, naive, and scared. I had the opportunity to start something new, but I remained with what was comfortable and it came back to bite me in the ass. Maybe this is why I struggle to turn down life opportunities now, because when I did I got burned. 
During the six years, I have created a defensive mechanism joke to deflect from the insecurities I have about this situation. If you've had any conversations with me, you've probably heard me say "reasons why I'm single" at some point. I use this frequently when I do something weird, screw something up, or as a way to diffuse how uncomfortable real talks about why I might be single emerge. The joke has surprisingly caught on with others in my life. My family, friends, and certain outspoken coworkers or acquaintances will also use it when I've done something out of the norm. It has gotten to the point where I've legitimately contemplated writing a book to document all the reasons I'm single on several occasions. 
Not only do I keep my mind in that "reasons why I'm single" mode to protect myself, but I also am naive to or reject attempts made by guys to try to 'make a move' on me. I have had three guys pull the "what are we" card on me during the past six years. Every time this question has caught me off guard. When I unintentionally put people in the friend zone my mind doesn't really consider an alternative. This results in an awkward conversation, a reconsidering on my part, and then an embarrassing rejection when I start to explore the possibility of a relationship with that person.
I also have a tendency to reject what has become of dating and pursuing of a person in the 21st century. I don't desire to meet someone at a bar, I refuse to try tinder, and I have no interest in talking to multiple people at one time. I'm not the type of person to mess around, I don't tolerate or play games, and I'll call you on your bullshit early. These don't tend to be things that cultivate in relationship opportunities.
Recently I had a friend tell me that all the people she's introduced me to also have questioned my singleness. "How is she single, I don't get it?" I've had a lot of time to think about these questions recently. Other than the awkwardness of my personality and the struggles I've already mentioned, there seems to be one reason that really encompasses why I have remained single all these years. I refuse to settle. I don't have a laundry list of characteristics that someone has to meet, but I do have standards for how I will be treated. This isn't to shut down anyone who potentially wants to date me, but it is a respect I have for myself. I'm not interested in messing around. I don't have time to waste playing games. I'm okay with being single if it means waiting for a relationship that enhances, compliments, and challenges my life rather than suffocate and tear me down. 
Reader, I am not a saint. I do have moments of insecurities where I wonder if I will ever find someone. I question if I screwed up an opportunity in my past to find true happiness. I stress about the fact that I've always pictured my adult life with getting married and having children. However, with all the anxiety and doubts about it ever happening, I still hold strong to my integrity to find someone that will be exactly what I didn't know I was looking for. 
I hope that you too reader realize and understand how amazing you are. I hope you know that you deserve to be treated with the upmost respect. I hope that you find that person that isn't going to provide you with all rainbows and butterflies, but challenges you and pushes you to be your best person. We all deserve the type of person that will be your 'always,' and I hope you too don't settle for anything less.
As always I thank you reader! :) Don't forget to make someone smile today! I have football to watch  now, but I hope we meet again soon! Until next time.
​-Jordan