2016, it wasn't all bad, was it?

[tourennatrix]

 

2016 was a rough year for a lot of people. Pop culture, politics, global stuff I can't keep track of, they all took a hit, not to mention whatever personal turmoil was going on in individuals lives.

 

But it wasn't all bad, was it?

 

Share with everyone some happy news about 2016 so we can all feel a little lighter about moving into the new year!

 

I'll start:

*My boss had a major stroke back in February (boo!) But has made HUGE improvements! Still has a long way to go, but his smarts and his personality are intact and he is learning to walk again.

*I have noticed some pretty impressive changes in how I handle my own anxiety, and "self confidence" is more of a thing these days.

*According to the internet, tigers, pandas, and manatees have all had a population increase this year!

 

Your turn!

[pseudobison]

• Discovered some great games (some of which came out in 2016): Paperback, Aviary Attorney, Starbound, Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime, The Witness. Looking forward to trying Stardew Valley and Hexcells (Christmas gifts) and maybe trying Hyper Light Drifter if my friends enjoy it.
   
• Hey, here's a whole list! Actually, I strongly recommend reading the whole thing, there is some amazing stuff on there.  By the way, #10 ("since the year 2000, global malaria deaths have declined by 60%") is HUGE: Malaria has caused far more deaths than all the wars in history, and even so still kills and sickens so many people that charity-impact-evaluation organizations routinely recommend a particularly effective anti-malarial charity (Against Malaria Foundation) as one of the best charitable investments one can make. Closer to home for most of us, rates of colon cancer, heart disease, and dementia are finally on the decline (#11).
   
• Speaking of charity, GiveDirectly came out this year with a thing where you can see how their recipients are using donations, and it's pretty cool to see the improvements that some of the world's poorest people are able to make in their situations with what are pretty small amounts of money by western standards. I donated to them this year & it felt great to give to a charity knowing that 90% of what I donate goes directly to people who need it within 12 months.
   
• I realized that having a little regular coffee in the morning, rather than a super-strong pourover, makes a huge difference in my anxiety levels. Sometimes the most obvious things are the hardest to see!
   
• A good friend's Dad had a stroke some years ago that was so bad we initially assumed he'd never recover, but he's now basically normal -- just starred as Scrooge in a local play in fact! The brain can do some amazing self-repair sometimes. Wishing the best to your boss for his continued recovery!

[Trixie Falsae]

I had Missy on my birthday, which was awesome x2. 

 

We found out foods that trigger Sunny's psych issues and have been able wean her off meds.

 

Im more zen than I have been in years, partly due to being able to scale back to working part time. I have taken some pretty significnt steps towards living the life I want.

[Guzzi]

Well, we finally got to the bottom of what the fuck was going wrong with me and had surgery to repair it. It's not done yet, still another op to go but the improvement is immense! 

 

I also received news that both my sister-in-laws were expecting! I will have two more nephews or nieces. My b-in-law and his wife have been trying for quite a while and suffered a few miscarriages, so it's wonderful that they've finally made it past the 12 week mark. I'm very thankful for that. 

 

Also, I learned how to make a patchwork quilt which was sooooo cool!