2025 has been an intense journey full of contrasts. It began with a heartfelt goodbye and ends with my soul more open after the magical and serene family encounters that we usually experience in Escondida.
Meanwhile, laughter under a blanket of fireflies outside Kuala Lumpur with my grandson Mauricio, spiritual retreat in Kuchaman, spectacular aurora borealis in the Arctic Circle in the company of Alex and dear friends, joy and madness in the Nevada desert during Burning Man, and so much more.
Almost a year and the mourning continues. In January 2026 it will be one year since we lost my mother, Mayra, our Aby. Almost a year since she physically left us as we gazed at the stars over the desert between Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The moment was overwhelming. Enveloped in silence, I felt her leaving, as if she was ascending. Since then, her light has been guiding us; it remains warm in our hearts. That is where she dwells now.
I still see her every time I close my eyes, and I can feel her in many of my silences. Sometimes I even have the impulse to look for her, thinking she is right there, to ask her advice or share something with her. From Alto de las Palomas, the lights in Lindora remind me of her every night. We would chat like teenage friends.
A year of extremes: from pain to laughter, from tears to fuller joy, from lessons of shame to more real and sincere gratitude. Hugs shared with our Palestinian family in Doha and with our Chilean family in Miami. A magical reunion in Guadalajara after almost four decades with Gaby and Atenas together with their husbands Javier and Ismael, as well as another happily unexpected moment with Eiza and Grigor.
And there are many I would like to name, many who have left their mark: Luisa and Jhon; Nela and Gianma; Diego and Celeste; Julio and Ashley; Pedro and Renée; Daniel and Tati; Lola and Sergio; Roberto and Marce; Carmen and Edgar; Giselle and Jorge; Allan; Mome and John; Rafa and Bea; José María and Godfrey; Swami G, Victorien and Månika; Luis and Aida; Adriana; Juliana; Dionisio and Ana; Carmen, Soledad and Mariana; Gabo; Bernal; Roberto; Luis Diego; Bear; Grettel; Alex; Manolo; Juanjo; Noé and Nela; Diego and Anni; Antonio and Tere; Beatriz and her Thinking Heads…. To Argelia and Gustavo, thank you always.
I could go on and on. The people of EarthOne, of Unreasonable, of Kinnernet, of Nakaloka Kutastha, my colleagues from Methodist and Saint Francis, from Maex and the universities, my Latinos from Gemba, the Xtreme of that unforgettable Nepal.
What a blessing. A great extended family, because family is who we share life with. And I omit many, sorry, but I do not want to be heavy. Thank you all. Thank you, family.
I can say that it has been a year of love and, above all, of transformation as a family. With my Alex, our children Santiago and Adriana, with our daughter-in-law Stephanie and our grandchildren Mauricio, Gaston and Rafael, with aunt Errolyn and our irreplaceable Leach, with Alberto my brother-in-law and brother, with all of them I have laughed, traveled, shared meals, many stories and moments.
I have allowed myself to open space to feel, to suffer, letting pain and frustration visit me freely and without offering resistance. And despite everything, or perhaps because of this, what I have done most this year is to enjoy.
It was also a year in which I decided to ignore, because I ignored a lot. I ignored soccer, I ignored politics. I ignored as much as possible news and speeches aimed at scandalizing or dividing. And not out of disinterest, but rather to protect myself from what does not nourish me. It was an entirely conscious decision. Instead of bothering myself with headlines, I decided to pay attention to life in the eyes of my grandchildren, to calm conversations in front of a cup of coffee – often for three – and to my inner self.
It has been a year of exploration, new practices and a lot of observation. Something, the latter, that I have discovered I like. A lot.
2025 has taught me with a burning clarity that detachment is more urgent than ever. That we must let go of what is useless, what hurts unnecessarily, what intoxicates. That it is necessary to let go of the ego, of the character, of the masks.
My main enemy has been myself. The fight continues to be against my own nonsense, my old stories and narratives, that shadow that does not leave me… and that will continue to be there. Although this year I have seen it with more tenderness and less judgment. I have begun to affectionately recognize it as part of me.
For all of this I celebrate detachment. Detachment from the trappings of ego, from the external voices that dictate how a man my age should be, that determine what I should be doing or saying. What I want is to live my age as I please. I want to be a grandfather who dances, a husband who listens, a dad who hugs, a friend who asks “how are you?” and stays to hear the answer.
And, God willing and life permitting, I hope to make it to 70 in good health, with a heart full of love and attending to the conversations that matter. And I also want to continue to provoke detachment. Not out of rebellion, but out of love. Because I know that when we let go, we find ourselves. When we stop pretending, we start living.
On the subject of detachment (and forgive the redundancy), 2025 has also been the year of the launch of my first book: The Art of Detachment. I had the privilege of presenting it in Madrid and then in Escazú, and I hope it will soon be available in bookstores in Latin America. What excites me most is the possibility of connecting, that the words reach as many people as possible and thus accompany those who need it.
Inspiring is what moves me. After all, we are still machines full of emotions looking to love before the light goes out. As in that play I saw with Alex in New York about two robots who fall in love at the end of their days and that made me get excited like a child.
I look forward to 2026. I’m looking forward to a physical year. I feel like hitting the gym, doing weights, losing a few pounds, eating better. Not to fit in, but to honor this body that got me here. I want to be vigorous enough to continue carrying grandchildren -in deep emotion with the birth we are expecting next July- and so that I don’t lack the strength to enjoy long walks or meetings until the wee hours of the morning.
I do not want to say goodbye to the year without first thanking all those who read me for their presence on the other side of my screen and for their enthusiasm.
I hope this text is a mirror for you too. So that you remember what is worth remembering. So that you may decide to ignore what doesn’t add up to you. So that you dare to let go, to detach yourself, to live with more intention.
May we, now and always, detach ourselves from clumsy stereotypes and learn that, as Bad Bunny says: “as long as you are alive, you should love as much as you can”.
May we also continue to enjoy creativity, disruption and genius, as Rosalía has gifted us with in her Lux.
I wish you a 2026 full of health, love, lucidity and silence when you need it.
Let’s take lots of pictures! No lack of music, no lack of hugs, no lack of pauses to look at the sky. No lack of selfies.
May we continue to build this life slowly, without haste, without masks, without fear.
With love and detachment: happy new year.
