There's a line from Book I of Virgil's Georgics that really spoke to me. Depending on the translation, it goes something like: "The first rule of farming is to never expect an easy way". On the surface, the Georgics is a dusty old poem about farming instructions, but it's secretly a book about dealing with the inevitable misfortunes of life. You know, some things are just out of our control. You can do everything right, and a storm can still barge in and tear it all down. We can't control the weather, but we can control how we respond to it. The Georgics have a lot in common with the much more recent Serenity Prayer. Maybe you've heard it: "Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference". Both are about the importance of knowing and accepting our limits and having the resilience to press on through life's many challenges. Also, if you just want to know what type of wood to build your plough out of, Virgil is your guy!

If you're still with me, thank you. I think you're pretty cool. You numba one :-)