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It's a brand new year, and there's no reason we can't tweak our algorithms just a bit to focus on some positive news.

One Reddit user posed the question, "What's something *positive* going on in America people should be aware of?" It seems many people were quite eager to answer. There were more than 1,600 comments in less than a day, and the number continues to grow.

Here are just a few reasons to be excited about the future:

Affordable insulin

"Starting today, my state is selling insulin pens at $11/pen," one Redditor wrote, later clarifying that the state is California.

Upon announcing the pharmaceutical deal, which went into effect January 1, 2026, California Governor Gavin Newsom shared, "No Californian should ever have to ration insulin or go into debt to stay alive — and I won't stop until health care costs are crushed for everyone."

There were many hopeful responses to this Reddit comment, including, "Affordable insulin will save lives. And it won't empty bank accounts doing it."

Jaguar species repopulating

Another commenter shared, "There was a new jaguar spotted in southern Arizona! It's the fifth in 15 years, and means that the species is recovering. :)"

A jaguar pats the camera. Giphy

CBS News reported, "The University of Arizona Wild Cat Research and Conservation Center says it's the fifth big cat over the last 15 years to be spotted in the area after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. The animal was captured by the camera as it visited a watering hole in November, its distinctive spots setting it apart from previous sightings."

The American chestnut tree is on the mend

A Redditor wrote, "The American chestnut tree is beginning a comeback tour after two extensive projects to make strains that are resistant to the fungus that swept the legs out from under the species after it was imported along with Chinese chestnuts. (Edit—there was an issue with one of the lines and it suffered a setback in 2023/24, but it is still moving forward per SUNY-ESF)"

A website dedicated to the restoration of the American chestnut tree further explains, "The iconic American chestnut was devastated by chestnut blight in the early 1900's. Employing complementary scientific strategies of traditional breeding, biotechnology, and biocontrol, TACF is working to restore a disease-resistant and genetically diverse population of American chestnuts in the eastern forests of the United States."

Among the reactions, one person shared: "Cool—had a late cousin who was involved in testing some strains, who told me twenty years ago a test field in my area probably had some cuttings from a tree on my grandfather's farm. It's awesome that this decades-long project is getting close to fruition." Another person joked, "Yeah, it's nuts!"

Florida introduces database for animal safety

A Redditor shared, "Today (01/01/26) Florida launches a public, searchable animal abuse database. This will prevent animals being placed with an animal abuser. It's part of Dexter's Law. Justice for the animals."

Optimistically, a Redditor commented, "The University of Florida has an incredible veterinary forensic program, so they're the experts when it comes to this kind of thing. Hopefully it spreads to other states as well!"

Libraries are getting creative

A person on the thread shared, "My local library started a program where you can 'check out' a person for a 30-minute conversation to hear their life story. It's like human audiobooks, and it's quietly the most wholesome thing happening in my zip code."

This appears to be part of, or an offshoot of, the Human Library project. From its website: "The Human Library® is, in the true sense of the word, a library of people. We host events where readers can borrow human beings serving as open books and have conversations they would not normally have access to. Every human book from our bookshelf represents a group in our society that is often subjected to prejudice, stigmatization, or discrimination because of their lifestyle, diagnosis, belief, disability, social status, ethnic origin, etc."

Artist scavenger hunts in Tacoma

A Redditor kindly shared, "In the city of Tacoma, in Washington state, residents gather together every Chinese New Year to hunt for Monkeyshines: glass baubles and ornaments emblazoned with that year's Zodiac, made by local glass artists, while also leaving 'rogue' Monkeyshines for others to find. They all follow the rule of 'only take one,' and you can re-hide other shines you find.

The entire city turns into a collective scavenger hunt for roughly a month, and it's common to see packs of humans hunting in the rain and snow, even at night with flashlights.

In this small corner of the world, tucked into the armpit of the PNW, someone decided one day that they would make the city brighter by hiding little tokens for others to find. And now it's officially a Thing, with its own subreddit and websites and whatnot.

There's still magic worth seeking out, no matter how grim the outlook may be."

It turns out this tradition has been going on for a while, but there's always something uniquely new for people to look forward to each year. The Parks Tacoma site offers a nifty guide, noting, "It would be an understatement to say that Parks Tacoma loves Monkeyshine season, and we're excited to welcome those visitors who are dropping off their beautiful pieces of work and those on the hunt to find them."

Delaware forgiving medical debt for many residents

In a win for those saddled with medical debt, one commenter shared, "My state of Delaware forgave $19 million in medical debt for over 18,000 residents in December. The state also passed a law in October that excludes medical debt from credit reporting."

This is confirmed on the official State of Delaware government website: "Governor Matt Meyer today announced significant progress in Delaware's medical debt elimination initiative, with nearly $19 million in medical debt abolished for more than 18,000 Delawareans so far."

Others on the thread added that their states passed similar laws, sparking hope in many readers.

Wild horses and donkeys are getting adopted across the nation

On the thread, another commenter wrote, "The Bureau of Land Management successfully adopts out tens of thousands of wild horses and burros (donkeys) per year. 290,000 have been adopted out to private owners to manage America's wild herds."

One Redditor (@herstoryhistory) even shared a photo of their beautiful donkey, adopted from the Bureau of Land Management.

A donkey adopted from The Bureau of Land Management.Photo Credit: Reddit User @Herstoryhistory

One adorable response included, "Love this for you and your burros!!"

Monks walking across the country for peace

Many Redditors across the U.S. were thrilled that the "Walk for Peace" movement passed through their states. One person wrote, "The monks walking for peace. They went through Georgia today!" Another added, "Don't forget Aloka the peace dog—he's walking with 'em too!"

The Associated Press corroborates that the commenters are referring to a group of about two dozen Buddhist monks who began walking in Texas in October en route to Washington, D.C. to highlight "Buddhism's long tradition of activism for peace."

Solar backpacks for homeless population

"Guy in CA making solar backpacks for the homeless; over 1,200 distributed so far," one commenter shared.

They're most likely referring to the Makeshift Traveler backpack. The solar aspect the Redditor is referencing is explained on the project's official website: "This section is highlighted by a solar panel that stores energy within the bag's battery bank and allows users to charge devices through a USB port. According to UCSF, over 70% of California's unhoused community use cell phones to stay in touch with loved ones and access critical services. The port also features a USB-C port and includes cables to charge the Makeshift Traveler if a user can access a wall charger. The pack can also charge the radio and flashlight inside the bag."