Watching movies or a series is wonderfully relaxing to me after my work day or other activity. I’ve not owned a TV in more than a decade, but I’ve got my trusty laptop with a DVD and external mini-speaker 😊. I’m not one to pay for a subscription solely because I would spend much too much time utilizing it and that would be most unhealthy. However, even with the limited freebies, I find myself getting hooked. And, watching at night and then going to sleep impacts my dreams.

New Tricks is a British television police procedural, concluded after twelve series in 2015. It focuses on the work of the Unsolved Crime and Open Case Squad (UCOS), a fictional division within London’s Metropolitan Police Service tasked with re-investigating unsolved crimes from years ago now that more technology is available, e.g., DNA testing. UCOS’ team is headed by a woman senior police detective overseeing the work of three retired male police officers. Each episode focuses on a different investigation, with characters coping with aging problems but using their wisdom to overcome hurdles in the original investigation of cold cases. I always like a good mystery, it’s fascinating to see what new tools can uncover, each character is well-developed and quirky, and the acting is great.

There is little violence in the episodes, but still, the individuals investigated often have criminal records and/or little ethics. There’s a lot of analytical thinking and computer work. Let’s face it: any police story is probably not going to focus on the positive qualities of individuals being interviewed for crimes, especially murders. My dreams reflected this shadow side of life, and I wanted to change that.

Christy is an American period drama series which aired from April 1994 to August 1995 for twenty episodes. It was based on the 1967 novel Christy by Catherine Marshall, inspired by the experiences of the author’s mother, Christy Huddleston; I read the book decades ago and remembered enjoying it.

Christy is 19 years old and goes to an Appalachian village in Tennessee in 1912 to teach at a mission school. The villagers have old-fashioned ways, are quite poor, and uneducated. The scenes of rural America are beautiful and peaceful, and seeing old steam engines, fun—I’m a rail fan. While there’s still some violence and meanness of people exhibited, there is also forgiveness and compassion. While a main character is a minister, I would not call the series religious, and I find the Quaker missionary refreshing, wise, and open-minded. The challenges of life are accompanied by courage and are inspirational. Expression of feelings is more the case than analytical thinking.

For now, I’ll stick with relaxing with shows like Christy and nourishing my soul with heart-related food for thought. Just like the expression about computers—“Garbage in, garbage out”—I want to care for my soul with inspirational input so (when I dream at night) I get inspirational output.