We all know we have only one shot at life. But, even though we know this, how many of us would live the exact same life again if we had our time over?

Farming is a profession that many people end up in by accident of birth. We all know farmers who are no more suited to or interested in farming and yet they are farmers because they were born the eldest or youngest son. Life must be pretty miserable, especially when you don’t have the courage to change it.

I’ve always admired people who follow their dreams. The people who are in good jobs or who have a path marked out for them and yet change course to follow a different path. More often than not, the sky does not fall in and they get on very well.

In this week’s issue, we profile our new columnist Catherine Callaghan, a woman who certainly had no problem taking an unusual path in life.

Catherine is an ex-army officer and aircraft engineer. She is a carer, a mother, a wife, a farmer and a yoga teacher. And she is here to help us all find our inner calm. Did you know there are 1,440 minutes in every day? Well, Catherine is looking for you to take just a few of them for yourself. She wants us to take just two of those minutes to breathe deeply and another two to look at something around us and really take it in. All of us, no matter how busy we are, have those few minutes to spare.

One of Catherine’s favourite quotes is by the late tennis player Arthur Ashe: “Start where you are, use what you have and do what you can.”

So, this month, try those two simple exercises every day and see if they make a difference to your life.

We also profile John Hempenstall and his Wicklow Farmhouse Cheese in this week’s issue. John comes from the same part of the country as myself and I have known him for a long time. John wouldn’t have been a large-scale farmer but he saw the opportunity offered by diversifying into farmhouse cheese. He grasped this chance with both hands and I’m delighted it has worked out for him and the 16 people now employed by the business.

John Neilly is another man who has found a new way to put his skills to use. John is a master cooper with 50 years’ experience. He retired a couple of years ago but got bored and started his own business making ornamental casks. He’s now working with the local craft distilleries that are popping up all over the place. So, again, it just shows that if you are open to them, opportunities arise.

I’d also like to thank Naoise Coogan for sharing her story of a cancer diagnosis and treatment with us all. I know it makes for hard reading but I certainly learned a lot from her. As someone who is very nervous around hospitals and would be inclined to ignore a breast check appointment, Naoise’s articles have convinced me there are scarier things in life and to just get on with it.