One Good Thing: This is what made us happy in 2024

The news can be tough in a world often marked by suffering, disaster and war.

Sometimes you need to stop and remember that good things happen all the time, all across the world, and 2024 was no different.

Take a look at some of the stories that made us smile.

Thailand’s adorable pygmy hippo Moo Deng has the kind of face that launches a thousand memes. Only a month after she was unveiled on Facebook, her fame became an unstoppable global phenomena.

Snoop Dogg became a star of the Paris Olympics as he guided a global audience through the menagerie of sports with commentary, quips and, sometimes, crip walks.

In their 80s, these South Korean women learned reading and rap. With an average age of 85, they’re probably the oldest rap group in the country, showing there’s no age limit to cool.

At this church in Portugal, parishioners surf before they worship. In surfing, they find a connection to spirituality.

The moon blocked out the sun for 40 million people. The clouds parted at just the right time and everyone stopped in wonder to watch as the midday skies darkened.

A Ghana toddler set a world record as the youngest male artist. His mother says it all started by accident when her son, at 6 months old, discovered her acrylic paints. It just shows you’re never too young for joy!

FILE - Ace-Liam Nana Sam Ankrah, who will turn two in July, paints at his mother's art gallery in Accra, Ghana, May 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu, File)

FILE - The moon covers the sun during a total solar eclipse, as seen from Fort Worth, Texas, April 8, 2024. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

FILE - Surf Church pastor, Rev. Samuel Cianelli, preaches to his congregation at the church in Porto, Portugal, Aug. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Luis Andres Henao, File)

FILE - Members of Suni and the Seven Princesses pose for a photo in Chilgok, South Korea, Oct. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, File)

FILE - U.S. artist Snoop Dogg sits in the audience before the breaking competition at La Concorde Urban Park at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin, File)

FILE -Two-month-old baby hippo Moo Deng and her mother Jona are seen at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi province, Thailand, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Running back J.K. Dobbins could return for the Los Angeles Chargers this weekend after being activated off injured reserve on Friday.

Dobbins missed four games after suffering a knee injury late in the first half of the Chargers’ 30-23 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Nov. 25. Los Angeles (9-6) can clinch its second AFC playoff berth in three years with a win at New England on Saturday.

Dobbins was fourth in the AFC in rushing with 766 yards at the time of his injury. He is averaging 4.8 yards per carry, seventh highest among NFL backs with at least 150 carries. He has been considered among the candidates for AP Comeback Player of the Year after suffering a torn Achilles tendon in last season’s opener.

After injuries derailed Dobbins’ four years with the Ravens, the 2020 second-round pick decided to bet on himself by signing only a one-year deal with the Chargers.

Dobbins' return should help bolster a running game that has struggled in his absence. The Chargers have averaged only 74.8 rushing yards in the past four games, a drop from the 118.1 they were generating before Dobbins’ injury.

The Chargers also elevated safeties Eddie Jackson and Kendall Williamson from the practice squad for Saturday's game.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

FILE -Los Angeles Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins (27) reacts after gaining a first down during an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Kirk Irwin, File)