Seneca: Fortune strikes hardest when it catches us…

Many painful shocks are intensified by the belief that they could never happen to us. A device fails, a relationship ends, an income changes, or someone we love becomes ill. We cannot prepare away every loss, but we can stop treating ordinary vulnerability as impossible. Practical preparation includes savings, backups, honest conversations, updated information, and habits that do not depend on perfect conditions. Emotional preparation includes remembering that possessions break, roles change, and people are mortal. This is not morbid thinking. It helps us appreciate what we have without being stunned by its fragility. Today, consider one predictable disruption you have avoided planning for. Take a modest step: copy the files, make the call, learn the procedure, or strengthen the relationship. Readiness will not make difficulty pleasant, but it can keep surprise from becoming helplessness.