In praise of lightheartedness: Periquitos attack!

Gandhi many times taught: "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind".

Dear fellow explorers, are you wrapping up to survive the Siberian cold wave? Please drink plenty of hot tea, different kinds of tea, so that your body savours the heart of all those good leaves coming from diverse parts of the planet. Or if you prefer, coffee, or cocoa, or chocolate, whatever makes your body warm and turns your ears red with happiness.

What a serious and terrible world we live in. I read with worry that the newest nation in the middle east wants another powerful nation to start a war against a rising nuclear neighbour. None of them is known for its kindness and diplomatic approach. All three employ religious views to justify their positions and actions. All three see one another as a menace. All three keep a close watch. Grumpy, gossipy, selfish giant neighbours who can't find anything better to do.

Last Saturday morning was an oasis in the midst of the cold, the sun came out and caught the wind and the frost off-guard, so the temperatures rose by at least 5 degrees celsius. The trees in Gandhi's Gardens timidly straightened their branches and trunks to catch every single ray of sunlight. Suddenly their bark seemed to show a less rugged surface, and the sap started to circulate again within their bodies. That's the way trees smile. Within their most intertwined branches appeared the sleepy green faces of periquitos, the wild parakeets whom people say have become a plague all around Barcelona. They do cry loud, but the trees don't mind them.

As early as 11 o'clock, there seems to be some commotion in the building closer to the kids playground and therefore the statue of Gandhi. In two of the balconies there, kids are chanting, really excited, and when they realize that the neighbour is also chanting, they start chanting louder.
-To-day is my birth-day, ha-ha, gon-na have a par-ty, ha-ha!- sings the boy in flat A, let's give it any name for the sake of clarity, erm... let's say Israel flat.
- Ah si? Today is my sister's birthday too! Lucia, it's the neighbour's birthday!-shouts the boy in flat B, which we will call, I don't know... let's say Iran flat.
And Lucia, who is right next to her brother shouts -But my birth-day par-ty is gon-na be in the play-ground, ha-ha, with ba-lloons and foo-ood, ha-ha!
-Mier-da! shouts Pep, the boy in Israel flat, suddenly pouting -Papa! The neighbours are having a party in our playground! Papa!
-Jo-der! shouts Lucia pouting even more -Mama! The neighbours want to steal our playground for their party! Mama!
-Quéeeee? Shouts Papa Israel whilst stepping out to the balcony and looking at the neighbour's -It's not possible, we've already invited all our dear friends!
-Cómooo? Shouts Mama Iran whilst stepping out to the balcony and leaning towards the neighbour's -You must be dreaming, we have invited our guests first!
-Forget it! We've been planning this for months! And we even bought a big cake! Let's see who gets there first!- screams Papa Israel whilst running indoors and starting to movilize the whole family -Vamoooos!
-You forget it! We bought a cake that I'm sure is twice the size of your cake! We'll get there first!- Shrieks Mama Iran whilst running indoors and getting everyone to pick up the bags, chairs and food -Vengaaaaaa!
-Squawwwwwwwwk, squawwwwwwk!- go the parakeets abruptly awakened by the racket.
And Gandhi frowns his pronounced eyebrows. For a long time.

In the next 2 minutes, the two armies manage to fight for the only lift in the building, 3 times!, the kids drop  custard and cookies in the lobby while running downstairs, Grandma Israel and Grandma Iran exchange defiant looks that freeze the blood in the veins, the neighbours look through their slightly opened doors but are afraid to intervene, this is a furious war! Grandpa Israel and Grandpa Iran argue about their favourite and rival football clubs, Parents Iran get ahead and set up the foldable table and chairs in a jiffy and, still panting, begin to blow up the balloons, they turn red, then violet, then blue -the people not the balloons- but by when Parents Israel arrive, the others have already managed to attach 3 inflated balloons to the table.

In the following 3 minutes, the two armies fight desperately for the space in the kids playground, every chair set up is a battle won, every balloon inflated and attached is a psychological victory. The few kids that were originally in the playground have been moved away by their parents, afraid of the carnage. The level of noise increases, since none of the parents or the kids has stopped shouting for a second. Some neighbour has the common sense to call the police, who, for the sake of clarity in this story will be called...er... let me think... oh yes, the United States.

In the following 5 minutes, the United States arrive at the war scene and try to establish responsibilities: who has woken up the neighbours, who has been shouting all the time, who has stepped on Grandma Iran's bad foot, who has stolen a slice of the cake, who has stolen Grandpa Israel's glasses... but in fact, no one has stopped shouting, so the United States begin to shout over everyone else's voices... they initially take sides with Israel, since they seem to occupy less territory and are quick to assume a victim role. And the shouting increases.

-Squawwwwwwwwk, squawwwwwwk!- go the periquitos now getting really irritated at all these people who are trying to imitate them but with such horrible human voices.
And Gandhi frowns his pronounced eyebrows even more. For a longer time. Until one periquito lands on his shoulder, pecks at his ear three times, scratches its invisible ear under the feathers on Gandhi's glasses and off it goes again to the top of the trees.

In the following 10 minutes, global war breaks loose, 3 squadrons of periquitos take off from the trees and attack the battleground with no mercy. Their small but sharp beaks pull hair, hats, glasses, ears, even a tupe and some dentures!

-Mier-daaaaaa!- shouts Pep, the boy Israel, while he hides under the table, his face full of chocolate cake, as he had fallen on top of it before.
-Jo-deeeeeeeer!- Ayyyyyyy! shouts Lucia, the girl Iran, while she runs all the way to the buidings entrance, two periquitos terrorizing her and making twirling braids with her hair.
-Quéeeee? Cómooo? Socorroooo! La Ostiaaaaa!- Shout Papa Israel, Mama Iran and the United States whilst receiving a thousand beaky blows and running in circles around the trees until they fall down on top of one another.
- It's the last time we come to help to this part of the wooooorrrrld!

An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.

A periquito for each grumpy neighbour makes the world a lighter place.