5 Good News Items We All Need

Remaining present in the modern world includes noticing the good. We’re not talking toxic positivity here. We’re referring to a simple commitment to also noticing what’s good in the world even as you navigate what’s not. Whether you find these reminders burrowed in a news story, the feeling of being on your mat or out on a run, or the eyes of a loved one doesn’t matter. Noticing them does.

Good news can be hard to come by these days. I mean that literally—our team scoured the web for hours to find the following handful of stories. Still, what we did find feels like flecks of gold hiding in a river, signs of a much larger vein of humanity just beneath the surface.

5 Pieces of Good News

From a Walk for Peace to some roly-poly pandas, these news items may inspire a little relief—or simply a long, slow, steady breath out.

1. Monks are walking for peace

For more than 100 days, a group of venerable Buddhist monks has been trekking across the country by foot. Their walk, which began in Fort Worth, Texas, and will finish in Washington D.C., has been taking them along stretches of snowy highways and through numerous cities, with stops at churches, schools, and more. The point is peace. Named the Walk for Peace, it aims to raise awareness around mindfulness, presence, and compassion. The monks have been greeted by supporters along the way, with families and community members holding signs, offering flowers, and cheering the trekkers on. Check out the daily videos if you need a good happy cry.

2. The Olympics are here

Ah, the Olympics—a demonstration of commitment, endurance, and the human spirit. The Winter Games officially kick off this week, and participants such as skier and gold medalist Lindsey Vonn, who is planning to complete with a ruptured ACL, are already proving that passion is a truly powerful thing. Sports have spurred fascination since the beginning of time, each competition a welcome reminder of the feats that human beings are capable of—physically and mentally.

3. Giant pandas are no longer endangered

If your coping mechanisms include videos of pandas rolling around and eating bamboo, this one’s for you. Giant pandas have been removed from the endangered species list. The bears, which currently number just over 1,800, are now listed as “vulnerable” by the World Wildlife Foundation.

4. The Smithsonian Institution is returning stolen sculptures to India

Artifacts, especially spiritual artifacts, belong in their original place of worship. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art announced this week that it will return three sculptures that had been illegally removed from Indian temples to the country’s government. The South Indian bronze castings depict Shiva and Sundarar, and this return is part of a larger review of the museum’s collections and their provenance.

5. It’s getting lighter every day

Simple, but true. Winter is waning in the Northern Hemisphere, which means that the natural light (and the dopamine it provides) is slowly returning. So if the darkness has you down, just keep your eyes to the sky. Brighter days are coming.