Many years ago, the old stockyards guy participated in more than a few 5K road races around the country. As I thought about this past year and all that our farm and ranch families have endured, I remember several of those idiocy inspired events and wondered “why?” I think it important to remember that never once did I even come close to winning anything, nor should I have. The goal each time was simply to finish, which became particularly difficult on those mornings when the temperature and humidity were already approaching the National Weather Service inspired “heat index warning.” I remember one particularly trying race, which I barely finished on my feet. While slugging down ice water, a well-known marathoner from this region walked by whacked me on top of the head and simply said, “Jimmy, it’s called persistence and it plays into life time and time again and I’m not talking about a road race. Good job.”