There are a lot of little annoyances about living in any big city, but Abu Dhabi is full of little moments that are, well, kind of wonderful. Like the moment the sun rises just above the horizon of the desert or sinks to crown the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the birds that live inside many of the city’s public buildings and the shop owners who turn the big TVs to the windows so that passersby can watch critical sports matches for free.

The way almost every person in the city is watching over almost every child out and about to make sure none of them step into the street or stray too far and all of the amazing people in our capital who give their time and energy just to make the world a better place.

The two road workers who took the time to search out the watchman of the nearest residential building to return the mobile phone they found on the ground, the gorgeous little girl at the Future Centre who cruises around Abu Dhabi in her bright pink wheelchair with a smile on her face, all the kittens on the street who make it against the odds.

All the tiny lizards living in the cracks along the corniche, every single pregnant belly in Abu Dhabi, the way two children who don’t speak one word in common can play for hours without ever needing language, the calm blue water between the corniche and LuLu Island, all the falconers who release their birds at the end of the hunting season – just like Sheikh Zayed used to do.

Very small children dancing, little boys who pick wild flowers to give to their mums, the high school boy who knew just how to comfort his young sister to stop her crying the day she thought she’d been left behind, finding a taxi just when you need one, short lines at the petrol station, when children on a stage wave to someone in the crowd.

Just like any city across the world, Abu Dhabi can be a tough city to navigate through, but every now and then, don’t forget to notice that sometimes – and more often than not – our fair city is a great place to be.