I was convinced that the day I would write about Francesc Miralles and Álex Rovira’s new book, ALEGRÍA (Joy), I would do it with a smile on my face because it’s a book that, that using the letter format, gives you guidelines to discern what is really important in life and to overcome the adversities and sad moments we all experience at some point in our life. I must admit that this week I’m sad and I can’t write with that smile on my face because of all of that happened last Sunday in Barcelona. I’m not going to talk about politics, but I just want to say that violence has always saddened me. I would never accept it as I have always defended dialogue. To have this dialogue you need two interlocutors willing to talk to each other, but there are fewer and fewer people who want to do so, and fewer people who want or know how to listen, therefore I don´t think we are going in the right direction. This is why reading ALEGRÍA again has given me serenity, perspective and calm. I think we could all use a little in our daily life, this week.

According to the authors, many of us miss out on the small moments of joy looking for happiness, and they are right, because we do have these joys, however small they are, but it’s possible that sometime we don’t value them as such, so we should make a list of these joys to overcome the sad feeling that sometimes embraces us in such an overwhelming way that we can´t even think. This is why I´d like to share with you my own little joys, they are just small things that make me smile, such as watching the sunrise by the sea with my friends or meditating listening the waves. The smile on my son´s face when he looks at me also makes me happy, so does the fact that my friends are family are able to achieve their goals and fulfill their dreams, however small they are… The list could be much longer I assure you, since sometimes a stranger´s smile can also create joy. Since I´ve read the book, I think I have enjoyed these moments much more. I have been doing some of the exercises that the authors propose, thus turning the book into a small treasure that helps me getting up every morning with the conviction that there will be sad moments, but that I must know how to manage them because sadness is part of our emotions and we can learn to fight it and even to live with it, always with a smile which will open other horizons, because we must always look further and move forward.

Congratulations to Álex and Francesc for once again being a terrific duo with the ability of making us feel optimistic even in challenging moments, and of helping us to cultivate JOY. So thank you for a book like this, now and always.