My name is Pablo Mera.

I'm a rugby man, blood group A+, a stutterer, and a great admirer of both Metallica and Oasis. None of this is likely to change.

In my time, I've had my share of successes, but I have also, I'm afraid, committed nearly every mistake imaginable. This is precisely why I write: so that some small part of what I have learned, through countless stumbles, might serve another soul. Or, at the very least, to serve as a record that one can live with all of these burdens and still, against all odds, continue to dream.

Just last night, I had an extraordinarily vivid dream—almost cinematic in its scope. In it, a thought struck me with the force of a revelation. And upon waking, I knew with absolute certainty that I must share it.

The idea itself is rather straightforward, yet it holds a certain power: that we all develop, almost organically, certain strengths that arise to compensate for our inherent weaknesses. The secret, you see, isn't in denying our shortcomings or becoming obsessed with being the best at things we were simply not built for. The real secret lies in accepting our shadows… and learning to truly shine in what we were.

An epiphany, indeed. And while it may sound rather self-evident, I assure you, it is anything but.

In my particular case, this epiphany has a name: the stutter. For many years, it was my cross to bear, a private torment. Every word was a battle, every conversation a minefield. I trained myself in the rather dark art of avoiding certain phrases, certain sounds, certain social situations. And so, almost without realising it, I began to build alternative bridges to the shores of understanding