Hey there, happy new year. Before we go full speed ahead into 2026, we wanted to start the year by checking in on the stories that stuck with us from 2025.

I'm Krista Bo Polanco, and this is CNN Five Good Things.

Signs of hope are taking shape after destruction from the fires in Los Angeles, and a medical emergency led to an unlikely friendship.

Plus, our small school district has brightened the day for a couple million people, I think,

at this point last I checked.

The sweet trend that reminds us that even the smallest moments can make the biggest difference.

And then later on, I like to push myself and want to know what is possible.

This athlete got a new ticker less than two years ago, but he's not done competing yet.

And when we come back?

It's still an open question, exactly how they navigate, but we're still getting this data at an unprecedented level of detail.

Hear about the revolutionary technology that's giving researchers a clearer picture of how pollinators move so they can protect them.

At Accardo, you'll save 25% on your first shop and get free delivery, which means if you were to

buy a four cheese pizza, you'd basically be getting one of the cheeses for free. Save and splurge at

Akado, the online supermarket. Geographical and other restrictions. Minimum spend 60 pounds and charges

apply. New customers only, maximum saving 20 pounds terms at Akado.com. For decades, scientists have

been chasing one of nature's biggest mysteries. How do monarch butterflies,

weighing less than a paperclip, migrate thousands of miles to the same forests in Mexico every year

to hibernate for the winter? Understanding how they migrate might be key to saving them.

Over the last 20 years, the number of monarchs and other American butterflies has declined by 40% or more,

due to insecticides, climate change, and habitat loss.

You might remember our story from October, when one monarch's journey south for the winter took a detour.

Somebody called and asked if we could rehabilitate a butterfly.

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