#29.- Fighting against the waste of food

Some weeks ago we saw an interesting TV report that explained how the big supermarkets throw food in the waste to increase the sales.
The main characteristic in these food is that is close the caducity date, but all of them are in good status.
Curiosly, the supermarkets prefer throw these food instead of sell in a lower price or give it to organizations that help poor people to eat.
The idea below is... "if my clients realize that I have food close to the caducity date, they will go to other supermarkets. Then I prefer throw these food to maintain my clients and my revenues".
That's only one part of the report. In other part we could see how farmers had to throw a lot of vegetables that didn't seem perfect, although these vegetables are so good. Last summer I lived something similar, because my father grow cucumbers, and one of every five boxes wasn't accepted for the market, only for their aspect, no for the flavour, smell, and other.
See this hurts any sensible heart!!! This can't rest in this way! 
It seems clear that supermarkets have this behaviour because the clients have this behaviour too, but introducing some etica practices could avoid to throw food at waste.
So after some time talking with my soon we decided to send a letter to the supermarkets to know how they manage the food that is near to caducity and if they give food to NGO that helps poor people to have food.
Here is the letter. Kids are our future. My parents never encouraged me to send a letter to anyplace to give a complain or ask for something. I consider that is important teach children that throught their actions they can change the world.
I'm happy because the etic and moral revolution has started and the future will be better!

#28.- Your worst day can be your best day!

Some days ago, when I went to my work, I forgot my bag in the train. Inside the bag, it was my wallet with: my identity card, driving license, credit cards, my mobile, and other personal documents.
I was working very concentrated with my laptop when we arrived to the target train station. I was very happy because I got the results that I wanted.
I got off the train with an smile in my face... but suddenly, when I was in the stairs, my face changed: I noticed that I didn't wear my bag!
Quickly, I went to the lost 'n' found point of the station to request for help. A nice lady called the train driver to inform and request him to give a look when the train would arrived to the end of the journey.
Meanwhile I was waiting there, thinking in my misfortune, in all the dealings that I should do (cancel credit cards, renew the identity card, ...) a burden of things, only to want to work in the train.
I was sunk and dissapointed.
After 15 or 20 of awaiting in the lost and found point, I asked to the nice lady to make a call to my mobile. Without hope, I called my phone number and after some tones.... the most wonderful voice in the world answered me! I didn't have words. I was very nervous and emotionated. Just I was able to articulate some words to say thanks and request where I could go to pick up my bag. The kind woman gave me the address.
I was happy again. Now I was the most fortune man in the world!
I hadn't money to go there and I didn't know how to arrive there. I went to my work, I asked some help to my friend Dídac that gave me a public transport ticked and gave his phone. I took a bus to arrive there and after an hour, finally I recovered my bag!
Is incredible how your worst day can be, at same time, your best day only in 20 minutes. I choose: this is my best day.
Thanks Silvia for picking up and care my bag and answer to my phone call.


The world is better than we think and full of good people! And the world is full of clueless, but good people too ;-)

#27.- Taking fun with workmates

During a week we spend, more or less, a third of a day at work. This is a lot of time!
And usually we don't know anything about our workmates (are they single? Which are thei r hobbies, ...). This is a big paradox!
Yesterday we take an out of office day to "work" in other areas.
This was a good oportunity to know better who are the people with we're sharing, at least, a third of your life.

#26.- Expressing emotions

When I was a child, I wasn't educated to express emotions. I was closed and cold as an stone in the middle of a mountain in the harsh winter.
I thought that expressing emotions publicly was a symptom of weakness and a lack of strenght.
But in fact, hide sentimento is a bomb with an unknown countdown: sooner or later will explode a will take everything that it has in front. The damage can be irreversible!
Expressing emotions is not an easy thing, but starting is much better than do nothing.
Sometimes the little teachers are the biggest ones. My son showed and remembered me how important it is. And throught his draw I saw that something is changing because if he is able to express his emotions means that he has learned something of this at home.
Even expressing emotions can be a creative moment and a way to grow. Retaining your emotions stop you from advance and going so far.
Express your emotions with words, with pictures or talking quietly. You'll feel better!

#25.- Remove the hiccups

Usually people says that when you have hiccups you're growing. And to know that you are growing is beautiful, specially when you're a child. This is a common argument that adults give to kids to avoid  them to be worried for the hiccups.

But when you're over your 37... the meaning of growing could be another (maybe growing wider not taller)... and after 3 days with hiccups, your sense of humor start not to be your best image (I suppose you understand me).

After having tried some methods to remove hiccups (stop breathing for a minute, resting in the bed, ... ) and none of them running properly for long time, I've looked for a new remedy in internet.

I've found a new method that consist in breathing into a bag to breath your own carbone dioxide. It seems that breathing carbone dioxide is the only scientific method documented to remove hiccups.

I've tried it, and after some breaths, the hiccups have gone miraculously!!!

And you can imagine, thats make me VERY happy and RESTED!!

#24.- Clapping on the street

It's 8:00 A.M. o'clock. A herd of people walks on the street, in silence, crestfallen, engrossed and routinely. All to the same direction.

The people stop walking in a crossroad at semaphore. The people's faces are off. Some of them smoke a cigarrette. The semaphore turns to green and people cross the street.

In the distance, we can hear some claps increasingly louder. Nobody does anything special, nobody reacts. A bearded guy walks smiling and clapping on the street while the "zombies" continue walking stolidly.

Walking slept  requires a lot of concentration: none smile is permited. (?)

The first thought is, why this bearded guy breaks the morning peace with his annoying claps?

... But this is not the right question. The right question is what are doing these living dead free in the street?


Thanks guy, today, some of us have returned to life!

And if you want more clapping music: http://youtu.be/eu-tRXgOrdg

#23.- Drawing in the sky

There're some days that the sky is specially clean, shining and blue like a colorful paper sheet ready to be drawn.

It seems that the sky is shouting you: "Draw your dreams! Do you have enough space?"

Some aircrafts crossing the sky draw the firsts lines, creating suggestive shapes with the steam of the combustion. The rest is up to you.

This picture reminds me when I was a child and we played to discover figures from the clouds.

It was an easy and funny game. We didn't require any thing more, only imagination and being wake up and having life spark!

Wake up! Raise up your head and stop looking to the ground! Above your head is happening something interesting.

#22.- Doing an exam (English in this case)

There are a lot of people that hate to do exams. Depending of the culture of each person this is comprensible, because is a way to put in evidence the knowledge that you have in the exam arena.
And there are some cultures that punish bad results.

But if you try to shift the point of view and use another word for exam, the things changes a lot. Choose for example some of these alternatives:

• Continuous improving
• How to be better
• Oportunity to grow
• Help to strengthen my weak points

Who is the person that don't wants help to be better? Who is the person that don't wants to shorten the way to the best version of oneself?

From this point of view, every body should love take exams regularly, at school, at university, at work, at life, ... 

My English level is what it is. I'm happy because from now I know that it can improve it! And I know in which areas I should invest more time.

But the question is? Why the companies don't examine regularly and transparently our work as a tool to be better and providing the tools to boost the weak points?


A weak point overcomed is a positive point for a company. Think on it!

#21.- So in love as the beginning

This is an special milestone: 12 years married + 7 seven years we have been engaged.

I can say the same in other words: 12 years building a project, 12 years sharing experiences, 12 years taking care each other, 12 years watering and reinventing the relation, 12 years of commitment, 12 years of confidence, 12 years of happiness... and much more.

But life is not a bed of roses. 12 years is a lot of time for don't appear any problem or dificult moment. As you can imagine, along 12 years Mr. Problem have visited us some times.

But with effort, speaking, looking for the positive part of the things, being candid, giving as much as possible, thinking in the couple more than one self, apologizing when necessary, recognizing own mistakes and work to avoid the repetition of the same ones mistakes, giving hugs, thinking in your partner worries, companionship, keep silence, make visible that your partner is special for you, are only some of the tools that everybody have in his toolbox to keep a relation.

And a marriage (or any other kind of relation) is the core for other social relations: at work, at neighborhood, at the town, at the country, ....  If we want to have a better world we should start taking care of our partner relations. 

Realize that, our behaviour in the relation will be copied by our kids.

If we do this work well, the future is promising. Kids learn by example. I hope have been a good example for my son.

Thanks Montse to be as you are.

#20.- Storks in the Church steeple

Once every some years, when the storks migrate from the arriving cold temperatures from the North to the warmer temperatures of the South, they stop in the town where I live.
Usually they rest in the church steeple. This is the highest place of the town. Each stork has its own space in a peak, like an statue. Depending of the years they need more space and then they occupy the tops of  the cedars. This is what happened today!
The show is beautiful, free, but it only lasts a day (or less). They arrive at the sunset and they leave at the sunrise of the next day.
A lot of excited people come there to take photos of them with the impassive gaze of the storks.
The storks give us a lesson: They abandon their comfortable nest and start a huge travel, flying hundreds of miles to start again in a new place. And every season change the story is repeated. In fact, this supposed discomfort and big effort is what guarantees their survival.
We should learn from them and practice some changes to be prepared or recycled for the future, to apreciate what we have and the cost to get it. They can fly hundreds of miles because their baggage is light.... but We are tied up to our luggage (i.e job, home, family, ...)

The Mother Nature is clever and give lessons to us every day for free. We should only pay attention!

#19.- Picking up the fruit of my effort

I wanted collect tomatoes, not remove
bad herbs, dig or water every day with a
blazing sun! But this fantastic tomatoe
 that I've picked up fruit of my effort
impulse me to do the same (or better) next
year. Strive worthwHile!

Sometimes, at work or life, to achive certain goal, is necessary to do some things that you don't like: bored, hard, repetitive, not creative, or others ....
The road is rocky, but the destination is beautiful. In other words, after some time working (or walking by the road), you can pick up the fruit of your effort. That's amazing! And that's what gives sense to the rocky road you have walked.
Collecting of these fruits gives you energy to continue walking for new and unkown road, despite the rocks you find on it or the slope of the road. Your effort have sense and becomes part of a whole for which working (or walking) on it, it's worthwhile! Usually, the passion and commitment born here.
The pitty is that there're people that abandon in the middle of the road. Then, they can't pick it up the fruit of their effort (the goal) or even worse they don't have the pleasure to understand the meaning of their effort.

Strive for something worthwhile! Believe me!

#18.- Receive is nice. Give is fantastic!

Small gift, built with a Nespresso Capsule used as a pot

Everybody like to receive presents from others. And a lot of times, the present is physic and maybe is something that you need or you're looking for and your pals have advanced to your desires.
But making a gift is more than this. Making a gift means to dedicate some of your time thinking with the fortunate person, looking for the way to make him happy with the things you have at your hand.
And usually, the people that have received the gift give thanks, and receive the thanks is the best for the people that give a gift!
Make people happy don't requires money. It requires time, love, candor.... in other words, make an space in your head for him.
And that's fantastic!!! What can be more marvelous than make people happy?
Look at the example, a little nespresso capsule can be recycled as a pot to plant an small cactus to bring to your pals!
Even waste materials can be used to make a delicated and beautiful present!
For this reason, I prefer give than receive, because make me happy twice: when I prepare the gift and when I receive the thanks!
If someday you feel weak, try to make a gift to someone you love. You will see how you recover the energy. Try it!

#17.- The Sunflower's example

When I was a child, one of the flowers that impressed me more was sunflower.
I liked to see how the position of the flower were always aligned with the sun and at the end of the day, at the sunset, the flowers stopped to watch at the sky. And the next day, the choreographie started again.
In fact, all the plants and flowers (as I know) do the same: they look for light. Light is the energy source that allows plants do the photosyntesis and produce Oxigen.
But with the sunflower this process is more evident because you can see every hour how the flower change it position.
The sunflower shows us an example of effort by following the sun all the day to maximize the light and energy that it receives.
For me, what that means is that if you want something, you should effort to reach it. 
I like to see how the nature shows us how we should behave. 

#16.- Playing as a Kid

Everyone has a child inside. But often, as we age, we tend to stifle these kid.
You should not do that!
Childhood is both: the most creativeness life stage and less prejudiced. This allows children to see the world through different eyes, so far from the eyes of adults who can only see problems everywhere. Godness, innocence, aid ...These are some of the values ​​that characterize children.
The truth is that when you play as a child remembering your childhood you feel better, you forget your problems for adults and relativize the important things from non important things.
Be happy just takes time and imagination. Itsn't necessary to embrace a huge fortune. Sometimes with a cardboard box, some small stones and a song is more than enough.
Parents and schools should endeavor to protect these values ​​and combining it with knowledge.
Then, I'm sure that could solve some of the great problems of humanity such as Hunger, AIDS, and others that are not solved by business interests and speculation.

#15.- Climbing Stairs

Today, after sometime without doing it, I've restarted climbing stairs.
I work in a 6+1  floor (between the 4th and the 5th floor there is a hidden floor that isn't accessible going by lift).
Until now I used the lift to go up to the office.
Really is a good exercise for our legs and a good way to save electrical energy. I the company where I work we have started a "go green" policy, that supports workers to adopt "green practices" to reduce our carbon foot print.
Some numbers:

• The tall of each floor is more or less 3 meters
• Then, If I climb the stairs one time per day I climb above 21 meters a day
• That means more than 100 meters a week. This is the same to say above 400 meters in a month
• If I would continue this practice during a year I could cumulate more than 4.400 meters. In two years I would reached the same amount where an aircraft flys !!!

I don't know how many time I will work in the same place, but... if I will be here 10 years, I would reach more than 44.000 meters!!!!

And I can do similar calculations with the saved electrical energy. You should be noticed that a lift consumes energy also when the lift moves up and down without passangers or when the lift doesn't turn the light off when nobody use it.

Often, people don't realize about continous and perseverant small practices and attitudes can produce big and revolutionary changes along the time.

Según estimaciones de la FEEDA (Federación Española de Asociaciones de Empresas de Ascensores) el parque de ascensores en España se acerca al millón de aparatos, por lo que con esta medida se podría conseguir un ahorro superior a 400.000.000 de kWh cada año. Equivale al consumo medio en electricidad de 100.000 hogares españoles y evitaría la emisión de 160.000 t de CO2.


And don't forget the high benefits for our health!
If we do a responsible use of lifts (and other services) we could avoid the use of some nuclear central....

Maybe is a bit exagerated but is something to think about it, and knowing that these small changes that are on my hand can be revolutionary, make me happy!

#14.- Riding on bicycle

I like riding on bicycle around my town with my wife and son. The speed of the bicycle is enough to give a big walk, see and to notice a lot of things around where you are cycling.
Also smells. That is incredible:When you pass through a field with cutted grass, or a field with wet green, or dusty road or the forest after the rain.
Is incredible the amount of different smells that you can be noticed if you pay attention.
I like breath deeply when I realize of a different smell.
I feel live! I feel my body is running well! I feel invaded for a wellness sensation.
Getting wellness is very easy and cheap. Take your bicycle and go out to give a ride! You will refresh your mind and you will be in a good humor sense.

#13.- Starting a new life

I'm sure that, a lot of times, you have heard some friend saying "I'm starting a new life".
In fact this title sounds grander than really it is and people don't realize about it.
Starting a new life means change, movement, risk, adventure, valor, uncertainty, fear, the looking for the hapiness, ... and I believe, big change.
Noone can say "I'll will start a new life" if is not predisposed to introduce big changes. Small changes means dayly life.
Sometimes, one have to change for unpredictable reasons and others for scheduled and well prepared reasons. But in the two cases the people should be prepared for an eventual failure. In general, people don't like changes and most of them haven't been educated for failure. For this reason, only few people are really disposed to start a new life.
My sister Eva is starting a new life. This morning, she has traveled to Brazil to work. She doesn't know exactly how long she will be there. The time will say!
These lasts days together, she was happy and excited for this new project of life. The rest of the family, at least myself, I was happy for her and sad at the same time: I had a lump in my throat and tears to come out. I will miss the time with her in the family lunchs, events, ...
But this morning I changed my mind. I know a lot of interesting people that have done similar change, and they are very well: Valerie, Yess, Carlos, ...
I'm sure my sister will be well and will start a new life.


And maybe is time to listen the call to change. Change means be happy. And being happy oneself makes a happier world!

#12.- Returning to work

For a lot of people, returning at work after a vacation period is hard and during tje first day a lot of people complains about the brevity of this period.
But I believe that we should be grateful of having the oportunity to have holidays.
My grandparents worked on the field and with animals. They worked 7 days a week 365 days a year under a blazing sun on summer and low temperatures in the harsh winter.
They are over 85 years old. This demonstrate that, without holidays, is possible to live a lot.
But they and others like them, fought a lot for us, to have a better future.
Now we have more than them, then we shouldn't complain about the brevity of our vacation period.
We should go to work happy of having enjoyed of these desconnection days.
But the big question is. . . What are we improving for the future generations to have higher quality of live?
Have a good day!

#11.- Give a hug

People, in some cultures don't use to have contact. Specially in adult people and in public places. This is something that usually is missunderstud.
Nonetheless, give a hug is one of the best ways to give and receive energy from one person to other person.
I started later to give hugs. I wasn't educated to give or receive hugs. I remember that the first time I received a hug, a chill ran through my body.
Now I like hug my wife and son when I arribe home or when I depart to work in the morning.
Last Wednesday I gave a hug to Didac, one of my workmate because I was happy with him. He explained his powerful tools and knowledge to Laura to be used in other parts of the company. Provoquing that smart people talk and share experiences is something that make me happy!

#10.- Straw hat

My grandfather used to wear an straw hat when he was working on the field under a blazing sun.
It was a way to protect his bald pate from the sun burns when it wasn't usual to protect the body with sunscreen.
When I was young I looked that this complement was for the old people (things of the youth), but yesterday my wife brought me a straw hat to protect my bald pate from the sun burns when I'm caring the garden.
I could protect my bald pate with sunscreen, but now I prefer wear the straw hat because it remembers me to my grandfather and in some way is part of my ADN.
The life is a cycle. Now I'm the old and my son is the young that sees this straw hat as a complement only for the old people, and the story starts again.

#9.- Walking at night under the moon

Specially at summer, when the temperature is hot, I like go walking, after dinner, with my wife and son.

Walk and talk quietly and avoid to be sat in front of the fool box (the TV).

There isn’t any special milestone to reach, only refresh the body and observe the night through the light of the moon.

All is peaceful. Some black cats crossing the street, some people riding on bicycle and other eating an ice cream, and a group of young people eating pipes and spitting the shells on the floor. 

Ocassionally, one fool guy brokes this wellness scenario with the sound of a motorbike.

Calmly we reach the midnight. It’s time to go bed. Rest and be good.

#8.- Disconnecting mobile

We live in an interconnected world. We wear the power of communications in our pocket.

That have positive things like having communications with people that live in the other part of the world fast and easyly and cheaper than travel there.

But the negative part is being all day pending of the mobile: Do you have a new SMS, miss call or e-mail to answer? Or worse yet, if someone calls you, and you have the mobile disconnected he believes the he has the right to quarrel for that.

I grow with out mobile and I was happy. Then there isn't any reason that makes mobile mandatory.

On weekend I practice the 'mobile disconnexion'. There are thousands of interesting things more insteresting than being controlled for an fool box.

#7.- Fetching water

Ocasionally, I go to fecth water from a source near home. I go because I want. I have choosen this option because I like the flavour of this water.
That's make think that, usually we aren't conscious about our fortune and our egoism at the same time.
Not every body have water at home, not every body can open the hot water tap for a bath. . . Is worse than that. There are a lot of people that don't have water to drink or wash their hands!
Water is basic for health, to prevent diseases and starvation, to grow plants. . .
Is incredibly that in the high tech era we are living thousands of people don't have water.

We should please our good luck looking for, thinking and sharing one idea to solve this problem each time we open the water tap.

#6.- Gamestorming with my son

Kids are indredible creative.
Fortunately, they don't know the rules of adult people that limit our thoughts. Unknowing these 'social acepted rules' are wings for them to face adult problems with an incredible creativity, imagination and easylyness.
They face the problems from an other point of view, another perspective. This is something that adults should do frecuently to be more practical.
Somedays, before going bed, I exercise with my son to solve some human problems: starvation, water, energy, how to make a happier world. We do a brainstorming and he likes do that. So many times he proposes things that I wouldn't never have thought.
I'm the present, my son the future.
I should protect him from those "bad rules" that makes everybody social acepted, but humanly useless.
I believe that adults would spend more time with kids the world would be a better and happier place to live.

The key question is: are the things so complex for be understandable for the kids? Or are so easy than we can believe?

#5.- Summer storms

I like summer storms. They are like a long  suspense movie: the first and small signals like ants collecting seeds, birds flying anxius, grey clouds filling the sky. Then sound of thundres so far away. Some minutes before start the storm the wind gets faster in a very characteristic way. The first 'gotas' that produce an special smell (the smell to tierra mojada), the lights and thunders and finally the storm. Parents and kids watching te storm througth the window, talking quietly, explaining the magic of ligth andthe difference with thunders.
When it finishes the calm return and the life goes on: the snails appear, the birds start to fly again and people go out from their homes.
Always the same script. Incredible, beautiful, amazing.

#4.- Cooking

I like cooking. I started to cook,for my girl friend, when I was 19 years old . Then, I cooked lots of pies. It was my speciallity.
Years later, when I got married I started to cook meals more elaborated, like paella.
And now I like to cook meals as simple and natural as possible: a simple omelette, zucchini, chard, steamed vegetables.

In someway, we cook to survive, but cooking is a good way to relax and leave your mind flowing, is a good way to make some manual work, to leverage you creativity, to cooperate with your family to enjoy later together eating what we have prepared
.
Those are some reasons why cooking make me happy.

#3.- Collecting zucchini

Some months after planting these small seeds, the Magic of the Earth transformed them in these marvelous zucchini.

I'm very impressed about this transformation process. 

This is really magic: good earth, water, love and time.

The zucchini plant produces a lot and we aren't unable to eat all fruits, for this reason we distribute zucchini to our neighbours for free. I like to see my neighbours pleased.

#2.- Caring my pumkins

I'd like care plants. But I'm really expected about these decorative pumkins I've planted.
I hope to have a good harvest to bring pumkins to my family, friends, workmates, etc... Thinking in I'll bring these to them make me happy and give me energy to care the plants.

#1.- Having English classes with Valerie

Having English classes with Valerie has been one of the things that have made me happier this year.
The English class has been more than an English class. The English class has been the spark of new corporate projects, the place to reflexion and question, lots of established things, the place to discover oneself.

Is incredible, but the time flies in the English class. It has been usual, that we have been chatting for more than 2 hours, overpassing the time agreed.

Thinking in English, speaking about feelings, mates, projects, life, ... have gave me the confidence and the fluency to learn faster and enjoy with the learning of English.

This kind of magic feeling make that I want to learn more and more, to listen more and more, to speak more and better... and allows me to comunicate with interesting, clever, and smart foreign people... And all thats make me happy.

Valerie thank you for helping me the be a better person ;-) that speaks English a bit better than when I started the take classes.