(I) The swell

Choosing a first chapter for this book-project was difficult, I thought putting things on perspective was a good starting point, and while the time past by I enjoyed a good similitude that would be the title to start this project: The swell, here it is.

100Thanks has begun with a swell; a groundswell which never thought it would lead to this text, and a surge caused by a storm which like almost all who come often tells us, they usually show symptoms before having them.

There are many types of storms but almost all of them, and I can assure you, come with predictions, with signs and you can see them coming. Some storms are also accidental, but these if you think it through they are the smallest, and it is true that on these little ones there’s no much you can do, technically we will focus on those that occupy most of our courses, those in our hands to prevent them and learn from them.

Conformism and resistance to change are the biggest reasons why the sailor, a great expert using instruments that catch sight to land and course, concerned to sail and worried to get fast fast, often forget to use the predictions and stop to look you can get a storm.

The sailor also has experience, he sailed many oceans and never ran into a storm, and if it happened he knew how to avoid them and knew that his boat never suffer. Hence its full confidence in not needing to look over, warnings or to have feared the water falls.

But the storm arrived.

When a storm hits the first thing you have to ensure in a boat is that each element is in place and do not move. The sailor realizes that there are essential and less important elements, that he needs food to navigate, and it is essential to be able to survive with what you have, overcome it and never give up in the middle of it.

While sailing quiet, he could never see what elements were necessary or were misplaced; while passing by he could measure certain elements and saw others fell on him. While he stood with his boat wrecked on different ports, saw places, met people and especially appreciated those who selflessly helped him. He also realized something not seen before; in some ports do not talk about shipwrecks, there´s no talk about storms; perhaps because they never passed one or because they never realized they were in the midst of one of them.

Repair with few people, invite to him who really cared and trust in a new boat and return to the ports where he had learned to be a good sailor, was the key to repair, navigate back and prepare for the next swell.

100Thanks speaks of storms, sailboats, ports and thanks to all who help rebuild boats, to all who care about shipwrecked, and people struggling to keep his boat afloat amid the swells.

Change, values and people.

I leave you with this song from Bob Dylan that perhaps you may like for this chapter.