Adam Grant, writing for The New York Times in April, encapsulated the mood of 2021 in one word: languishing. Despite a burst of optimism as vaccinations were rolled out to eager arms, the emergence of the delta and omicron variants of COVID-19 meant that life in general remained stuck in limbo. It’s too soon to say if 2022 will see us thriving, but an appreciation for small moments of joy will no doubt get us there.

Ryoichi Ichihashi, founding director of the General Home Care Clinic in Gifu Prefecture, checks on a bedridden mother infected with COVID-19 in Tokyo in early September. | RYUSEI TAKAHASHI
Ryoichi Ichihashi, founding director of the General Home Care Clinic in Gifu Prefecture, checks on a bedridden mother infected with COVID-19 in Tokyo in early September. | RYUSEI TAKAHASHI

Junko Yamaguchi, deputy director of Itabashi Hospital’s Division of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, stands outside the room of a patient with COVID-19. | RYUSEI TAKAHASHI
Junko Yamaguchi, deputy director of Itabashi Hospital’s Division of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, stands outside the room of a patient with COVID-19. | RYUSEI TAKAHASHI