ACCORDING TO DON QUIXOTE...

 According to Don Quixote: "Trust in time, which usually sweetly solves many bitter difficulties." Despite graduating from the Faculty 

of Arts in my native country, I never read the work of Cervantes; perhaps because the teacher for that subject pushed us to read El Cid instead. Yet, Cervantes’ theory about the ability of time in planning our life always interested me. However, his is not our grandmothers’ advice about time making our sorrows die away. What the author is saying has to do with an unknown energy that, should we follow its path, will outline our destiny impeccably. It was 2015 when, after leaving the hospital following an operation for severe diverticulitis, my son brought me Max, a Maltese poodle, as a gift to keep me company. Although I loved cats, not so dogs. In my youth, during a vacation, I had barely managed to prevent a German shepherd from attacking me. So when Thomas showed up that Christmas with Max, I got the chills. Since I could never refuse a gift from my son, I thanked him for his generous gesture and took Max home. The first years of our relationship, as for all relationships, were far from easy. However, little by little, not only did I manage to get Max to understand the difference between the living room and the bathroom in my apartment; he was also able to learn Spanish. Today, Max and I have been together for eight years; we have learned to love each other and to sleep together without disturbing each other. While his bed is very close to mine, as soon as I turn off the light every night, Max climbs onto my bed and prepares to sleep on the empty pillow on my right. Feeling someone breathing next to me makes sleep come faster and more peaceful. Had I refused this beautiful Christmas gift, I would never have understood the real meaning of Don Quixote’s saying.