“Yesterday I married this beautiful woman. After years of PTSD, crippling anxiety, and depression I can finally say I am the happiest man I have ever been. She sees the beauty in every little thing around her and it is by her example that I have learned to truly love life.”

“After years of struggling to get out of bed with pain from endometriosis and RA, this morning I walked 2.5 miles of the Great Wall.”

“After 4 years of trying to figure out how to be an utterly single mom, homelessness, and living in my car, we finally moved into a real home. We are going to have obligatory floor pizza on our first night.”

“After many long years in school, my Master’s diploma came. I am so happy and proud of myself.”

“I bought my first house today!”

“I’ve struggled with anxiety and depression since I was 15. Since bringing Mia into my life just one week ago, I’ve felt more happiness and peace than I ever thought possible. With her by my side, I know 26 will be my best year yet.”

“I’ve just completed my certification to become a class A skydiver! Here’s a shot from my grad jump.”

“After nearly 2 months of being unemployed, horrible depression, and eating nothing but rice and beans for the past 2 weeks, I now have 2 jobs. One as a bartender and another as a pita maker. I am not only very happy, but extremely grateful.”

“Our adoption was finalized today! I’m ‘officially’ a dad!”

“In their 34 years of marriage, my parents worked multiple jobs to support our family. Every summer they would fill a small, round, inflatable pool with water from the garden hose for us kids. Yesterday they had their first swim in their very own pool!”

“My disability has meant that I’ve never been able to style my own hair because I can only reach my head with one hand. For Christmas, my Dad got me a special set of curlers that I can use one-handed. Independence feels so good!”

“I’m holding my new album CD for the first time. I wrote this album while going through depression and I couldn’t be happier to still be alive and experience this.”

“My dad loves LEGOs, so for his 50th birthday we got him the Hogwarts Castle. He’s so happy.”

“I ran my first race today! It was 6.5 km and I did it in 44:27! I trained for 2 months and lost nearly 3 clothing sizes, having never been a runner before. I’m so proud of myself!”

“Today, for the first time in my anorexia recovery, I’ve been told that ‘I look healthy.’ It made me so happy!”

“My daughter won a welding skills competition today. Best Valentine’s Day gift ever!”

“My grandma has always wanted to dye her hair, and it finally happened.”

“I’ve lost a lot of weight and can finally see it when I look in the mirror. This is the first time in months I’ve dressed up and felt genuinely decent looking.”

“I’ve never seen my dad go a whole day without a drink, until this year. 24 days sober and counting!”

“I have finished photographing the final recipe for my first cookbook! I’m a self-taught photographer and home cook and I’ve been working nights and weekends developing over 100 recipes, over 4 months. Soon I’m going to be a published author and I’m so freaking proud.”

“I’ve waited 28 years to finally get my first pet. Everyone, meet Mycroft.”

“My 90-year-old friend and I just published the first-ever English translation of a 75-year-old Armenian book.”

“I became an American citizen in June and my passport came in the mail today! I cried tears of joy when I saw the envelope, and even more when I opened it.”

“I’m in remission! And I have a hairline again.”

This is Gabriel Nobre, 19, with his mom and sister right after he found out he’d passed Brazil’s famously difficult university entrance exam. This young man had cut a deal with a prep course to clean their building in exchange for free classes to help him prepare for the exam.