If there is one truth we can surely all agree on it is this: 2020 was, overall, a truly terrible year.
From devastating bushfires to a deadly pandemic, there's been no shortage of bad news. Many of us have spent hours mining the internet, reading awful news upon awful news, getting sucked into the darkness of it all despite ourselves.
But there has been plenty of good news too, exciting developments and heartwarming moments that remind us there will always be light.
As we near the end of 2020, let's take some time to celebrate some of the good things that happened this year and the joy we've managed to find in the simple things.
In no particular order, here are 50 good things that happened in 2020.
1. In January, a Wellington boy sold his treasured Beauden Barrett boots to raise money to help the koalas affected by the devastating bushfires sweeping across parts of Australia.
2. Distilleries started making hand sanitiser to keep people safe during the pandemic - then gave it away for free.
3. Communities came together, while keeping their distance, to applaud essential workers who kept the world going during lockdowns.
4. The SPCA's emergency call ahead of the level 4 lockdown ended with Kiwis responding en masse - and 800 animals had new forever homes.
5. Lockdown improved air quality in multiple cities across the world.
Himalaya mountains can be seen from Jalandhar since pollution has reduced in Punjab. Beautiful sight đ#punjab #COVID19 #pollution pic.twitter.com/iZy7hwxX9R
— TjSingh (@covsinghtj) April 3, 2020
6. Nature got to catch a breath during lockdown in many places, including the Hauraki Gulf.
7. Kiwis spent lockdown feeling the love - if engagement ring sales are anything to go by.
8. A Wellington charity expecting to lose donors during lockdown was humbled to see the number increase.
9. Many of us had the chance to spend much more time with our nearest and dearest in our bubbles.
10. And many grew closer to those that couldn't be in our bubble. "Zoom drinks" because a thing and extended families across New Zealand - and the world - gathered online for quizzes and to play board games.
11. We also took up new hobbies, most of them wholesome and old school. Think knitting and gardening. Oh and baking, there was a lot of baking.
12. Nature began to heal as the world came to a halt. Wild animals took to the streets and dolphins were spotted in Venice.
Not everyone is observing the Coronavius lockdown, goats in Llandudno roam around the seaside town taking advantage of the near deserted streets #COVID19 #coronavirus #llandudno #llandudnogoats pic.twitter.com/z54TbSKzsj
— Carl Recine (@carlrecine) March 31, 2020
13. A critically-endangered baby black rhino was born in Chester Zoo in the UK.
14. Tasmanian devils were reintroduced into the Australian wild for the first time in an estimated 3000 years.
15. A dad in New Zealand built a backyard Maccas drive-thru for his daughter's lockdown birthday.
16. Two loveable labradors named Olive and Mabel found viral fame as they gave British sports(less) commentator Andrew Cotter some great footage to work with.
Should have been the Olympic Opening Ceremony today. I used my notes anyway. pic.twitter.com/zjsTK3Armp
— Andrew Cotter (@MrAndrewCotter) July 24, 2020
17. Customers at a Thai restaurant in Huntly rolled up their sleeves to help when a staff member had to tend to a family emergency.
18. Captain Sir Thomas Moore, popularly known as "Captain Tom", raised millions of pounds for Britain's NHS and became a global sensation after he spent days on end in the lead-up to his 100th birthday walking laps of his garden.
19. Jawsh 685, a Kiwi boy from Manurewa, achieved global fame through his incredible music.
20. A 7-year-old girl became a viral TikTok sensation with her dance moves while marshalling the course at the Taupo Ironman event.
21. In Suffolk, in the east of England, villagers came together to buy a dog a wheelchair.
22. New Zealand made world headlines by crushing coronavirus. Oh yes, and we also crushed the flu.
23. SpaceX became the first private company to send humans to the International Space Station.
24. A Bangladeshi teenager won an award for her anti-cyberbullying app.
25. New Zealand approved free period products for all schools, a major step in tackling period poverty.
26. A 90-year-old American proved it's never too late, as he came out as gay to his family and friends. His heartwarming story went viral.
27. A British woman got to spend lockdown in New Zealand with her long-lost sister
28. - The ageing process was biologically reversed for the first time by giving humans oxygen therapy in a pressurised chamber.
29. Chris Nikic became the first person with Down syndrome to complete an Ironman.
30. The search for the owners of a teddy bear lost on a Wairarapa road went viral, with hundreds of people sharing the post from police. And, of course, the teddy bear was eventually reunited with his family.
31. A little tuī captured hearts after being picture wearing jandals at the Dunedin Wildlife Hospital.
32. Children across New Zealand spent part of their lockdown hunting for teddy bears in their neighbours' windows.
33. Speaking of neighbours, a lot of us reached out to the folks next door - or beyond - and forged new friendships.
34. Acts of kindness multiplied around the world. In Melbourne, a single mum was brought to tears when she bought a second-hand car and found an envelope containing three A$50 notes tucked between the sun visor and the roof, a random act of kindness from the previous owner.
35. An Auckland son managed to bring his dad back to life after he was dead for eight minutes following a cardiac arrest.
36. Taika Waititi did New Zealand proud again by winning an Oscar, which he dedicated to "indigenous kids" in a heartwarming speech.
37. On the West Coast, an 11-year-old Haast schoolgirl saved a preschooler who was floating head-down in a swollen creek - thanks to her surf lifesaving training.
38. In the US, a police officer's heroic actions went viral after video emerged showing the moment she dragged a man in a wheelchair from the path of a speeding train.
39. And in Matakana a toddler was saved after being found face down in the family pool.
40. And an anonymous bystander saved a woman's life at a West Auckland beach after wading into the water and holding her hand.
41. Black Lives Matter protests around the world were punctuated with acts of deep human kindness, such as the moment a group of black men carried an injured far-right opponent to safety.
42. A canine dubbed "Britain's loneliest dog" finally found a home after more than a decade at the Last Chance Animal Rescue in Edenbridge, Kent, just south of London.
43. Auckland police surprised an 8-year-old girl who was feeling down about spending her birthday in lockdown.
44. Music brought the world together, with people in quarantine serenading their neighbours from balconies and windows across the world.
45. A Timaru man with dementia stunned the world with his flawless performance of The Last Post on the bugle on Anzac Day.
46. In WÄnaka, the community came together to help a couple of tourists get married, so they would not have to be separated by the pandemic.
47. Whanganui dad Shawn Willis-Croft joined TikTok during lockdown for something to do and then went viral with his $10 lunchbox challenge, showing other parents how to feed children on a tight budget.
48. Scientists created a "super enzyme" that eats plastic bottles six times faster than previous enzymes.
49. The "world's largest bee", which was thought to have been extinct, was discovered in Indonesia - great news for the planet's biodiversity.
50. Scientists in Israel announced a world-first cancer breakthrough. They have destroyed cancerous cells in mice using DNA-altering technology.
That's the 50 good things we promised. But perhaps the best news of all is this bonus thing: you are here, reading this, healthy and safe, and you have survived 2020.
Here's to a 2021 full of joyscrolling, not doomscrolling.
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