Despite having it already in my hands, I am still amazed that I have been able to materialize so many years of work and so much learning in a physical book. And the result could not be more incredible: a beautiful copy with a cover, pages and its own weight. Behind me are many nights of reading and re-reading, of diving into the blog and rescuing memories to shape a coherent narrative, of letting go of what didn’t work and taking advantage of what did.

And if the very existence of the book amazes me, it amazes me even more that it has been received with so much affection and enthusiasm.

An emotional presentation in Madrid

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Last week, The Art of Detachment was presented in Madrid in an intimate, discreet and simple event in which I was surrounded by about forty people. It took place on the seventh floor of a building on Velázquez Street, in SpaceTh1, and I confess that I found it very emotional.

As of December 3, 2000 Management of Grupo Planeta will place the book in bookstores in Spain and in its ebook version also for those who prefer it in digital, in a version adapted for the peninsular reader. Then initially also in Mexico and Costa Rica in its original version.

In the intimacy of family and close friendships

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I was especially touched to see those who crossed the ocean to be there. From Costa Rica came Alex, my wife; Adri, my daughter; and Carlos, my brother and the one we affectionately call Leach. From Atlanta came Julio Gonzalez, who never fails and inspired me so much. Having them there with me – on such a special day, in a city I adore and in front of a book that took so long to write –meant life. I can’t find a more accurate expression than that.

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They were joined by friends, colleagues and readers, although I will avoid naming them one by one so as not to run the risk of leaving any of them out. However, I want to thank each and every one of them for coming, accompanying me and sharing their time with me. Just a brief mention to the dear Margenat family from Oller del Mas. I appreciate the close warmth that only they know how to give.

The house that is also my house

Among all those present, I must say that there was an essential presence: Thinking Heads. I must thank them not only for being the generous hosts of the event, but much more. For two full years they have been what I could call “my literary home”. They have been my springboard and my crutch, my guide and my sweet torture. My outlet, my support and, without exaggeration, a group of soul friends.

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Working on the book, a process that as I have already said on occasion has been long and has required a lot of patience, I have come to understand that it is one thing to publish on my blog -with freedom and without a schedule, without anyone chasing after me- and quite another to write a book. That journey, with all its demands, discipline and vulnerability, was possible because I had an extraordinary team behind me. Thank you, Dani and Antonio, always firm in our friendship; Iván, Ana, Rodrigo, Belén, Elena, Rocío, another Elena, Salvador, Juanjo and everyone at Th1, who even on the heaviest days made the experience feel accompanied, pleasant, rigorous and human.

The cover that sums it all up

A special mention deserves the Costa Rican Noé Arias of Changos Inc. He is the one who designed the cover, reflecting the coexistence between our shadows and our light, showing how both overlap in a state of constant transition. The intertwined figures show that detachment is not rupture, but integration: letting go with awareness to live freer, lighter and more authentic.

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It is the power of the symbol in its purest state: an image that does not describe, but reveals. And every time I look at it, I see there -with absolute clarity- the portrait of every human being: a being in constant transformation, called to let go in order to be.

The orchestra conductor

Among all the members of the team, I would like to highlight a figure that shines with her own light: Beatriz Rodríguez. She was the orchestra conductor, who made everything possible and without whose intervention I doubt that I would be writing this text right now, because surely the book would not have come into existence. Without her leadership, The Art of Detachment would not have come into being the way it did.

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You think that writing a book is solitary, and sometimes it is, but to get it to market, into the hands of readers who know nothing about you, requires a team behind it. And teams need a leader. So, it was Bea who wasin charge of setting the pace, of sustaining the structure and -perhaps this is the most difficult thing of all- who made sure that I met the dates and deadlines that arose. Revisions, corrections, readings, discards, deletions, rewrites… Whoever has written and published a book knows what I mean.

On reflection, I would say that the process is detachment in its purest essence. Constantly letting go to discover and move forward.

The presentation at Thinking Heads and Toni Segarra

The evening in the Spanish capital was a success that I will treasure forever. I was joined at the book presentation by Toni Segarra, an internationally renowned publicist with 39 Cannes Lions to his credit. A real luxury to share with the legendary Spanish creative. With him, in addition to the book and my intentions behind it, I talked about creativity, the craft of advertising, ego, freedom, the twists and turns of life and, of course, detachment as a tool to make room for what matters. It was a very human talk. It didn’t take me long to feel that, given his background, I understood at times everything he had written and expressed in The Art of Detachment, even though he confessed that until that moment, he had not read it.

After the presentation, we had a cocktail in which I had the opportunity to have other conversations, with space for hugs and laughter, and in which we toasted with wine from Oller del Mas -thank you, Frank and Laia-. This wine, which bears my surname (but without being my wine), was a perfect analogy of the book’s message: everything is transit, everything is on loan, nothing belongs to us completely.

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Grateful in the theater of our dreams

In Madrid I always feel that I am welcomed as if I were coming home, even if I am only passing through Barajas. It is a city that embraces you, whose people transmit closeness and sincere interest. An ideal setting for the debut of The Art of Detachment. Thanks to such a beautiful city for accompanying me with such elegance.

Even if I repeat myself, to all of you who were there -in person, in spirit, on the road, in support-, thank you. To Thinking Heads, thank you infinitely. To my family, thank you for being my root and my light. To my friends, thank you for being there. And to Gestión 2000 of Grupo Planeta, thank you for publishing me. That’s right, grateful to life: the theater of our dreams.

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Now follows the presentation in Costa Rica, with the loving support of our dear friends Carmen Mayela Fallas and Edgar Mata of CCK, at the Texas Tech auditorium on Avenida Escazú… in our land and nest of a life.

This is just another beginning. The book will now be flying free, on its own, ready to meet eyes and hearts I don’t know. That is the most beautiful thing about letting go.

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