Capitol Hill is not an easy place to navigate. It’s not just the maze of hallways that can torture a new member of Congress, but the vicious political maneuvering that takes place behind the scenes.

To help the freshman class, we asked retiring members of the House and Senate to offer one piece of advice to the newcomers. The responses from 14 lawmakers range from the practical — let your chief of staff hire your whole office — to the philosophical — savor the “pinch me” moments — to the bipartisan — yes, really get a beer with someone from the other party.

The typical mantra from healthcare experts when ringing in the new year usually centers around commitments to exercise more and lose weight. Although important, there may be a new year resolution that could be more impactful for your health. What about investing in your health by simply visiting your primary care doctor. Sounds simple, but this could literally be the difference between your life and death.

We have a problem and everyone recognizes it, but so far, very few have been willing to do anything about it. We are addicted to outrage.

This is most evident on social media, but it has also infected nearly any platform where Americans get together and try to engage in discourse about our problems.

Are you addicted to outrage? Here are a few signs to look for.

Are you afflicted?

New Year’s resolutions are a time for reflection—a chance to think about the limited time we have on this Earth and how to use it wisely.

Oliver Burkeman is a writer who focuses on this nexus of mortality and productivity. He is the author of Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mere Mortals (4,000 weeks is about the length of the average American’s life span). I caught up with him to discuss New Year’s–resolution making and breaking, and why you should consider not setting your resolutions until mid-January.

Good photojournalism doesn’t belong to the photographer alone. This collection of favorite Monitor photos of 2022 honors partnerships forged between photographer, subject, and viewer.

An Andean plateau. A Ukrainian church. A Florida swamp. These are just a few places brought to life for readers by Monitor photographers in the past year. Our photographers hope that all their images make an impression on readers. But the team’s favorite photos of the year “left a mark on us in some memorable way,” says Director of Photography Alfredo Sosa. “They touched you, or surprised you.”

Ingenuity

Much of 2022’s progress was propelled by inventive efforts to find solutions or make discoveries. Sometimes these inventions began with one small idea.

The Christmas tree in your home was grown with a purpose. It was planted and nurtured until it had matured enough for sale. It was then cut down and hauled to town, where families scowled over it in search of the perfect sapling for this year’s holiday season celebration. 

Then comes the decorating, the gifts beneath its boughs, and joyous moments near its gentle light.

But when the ornaments leave the branches, its purpose ends there. Like torn gift-wrapping paper, the tree then departs for the final leg of its journey, which in some cases is a landfill. 

At CT, we’re people who love good news. Here are 10 examples of positive developments we got to cover in 2022, from laundromat ministries to a multimillion-dollar hit Bible TV show.

Here’s to effective strategies, new milestones, creative thinking, efforts to adapt and change, and other stories of hope that came in the midst of hard and heavy headlines. They’re listed in chronological order.

Topics Discussed:

• Louisville, Colorado Fire
• Mayfield, Kentucky Update
• Covid-19 Omicron Update
• Outside of Politics: Holiday Activities