I would like to say that one of the most brilliant forest scientists we have ever had, Pēteris Zālītis, was right when he said that foresters live their own life – a beautiful, unique and selfless one – but time passes for them incredibly quickly. These are words from the introduction to a book we prepared and published in honour of the centenary of forest scientist Kaspars Bušs. A year has passed unnoticed. There have been no major upheavals, and everything that was planned has been fulfilled.

Yes, it is a great stroke of luck if you can live your own life without someone else, whose own life has turned out less successfully, starting to correct you or creating a forced need for you to be like them.