It's 6 a.m., the alarm rings. It's raining, it's cold, I haven't slept at all. And I tell myself: you've been here before, and you know this too shall pass. That insomnia that will condition your whole day and make you aware that life is about rising and falling, and that, from time to time, the universe reminds you of it so you don't fall asleep.
Go for a run. Don't let this loop take hold of you. And I have this internal dialogue, which leads me in an automated way, to the empty, black, and cold street. My body adopts a learned choreography, based on one foot, then the other, arms swinging opposite to the legs and, most importantly; breathing.
Breathing is what keeps us alive, what makes our organism function. And the secret to running is breathing. Until you find the breath that helps you maintain a constant rhythm to stop thinking about the effort and start letting yourself be carried away by that feeling of flowing and being aware of every second, many minutes can pass.
I exhaled and inhaled and saw other runners ---few--- who were sharing puddles and dawn with me. We exchanged a knowing smile and a "good morning," and that made us belong to the same group. The group of early risers who, even if conditions are adverse, go out to find their breath. And it is from that breath that they feel life, and become aware of what is happening: the good and the bad.
The man who opens the coffee shop, the cleaning staff sweeping the street, the Urbana car doing its last round before the shift change, those returning from parties waiting for the sun to rise, those living on the street and those leaving the hospital guard. And in that direct connection with the present, I have connected with Barcelona. I have felt part of this city, part of the landscape that gives it that much-needed, so alive, so resilient pulse.
And I have felt that breathing is the basis of everything. That breathing is a verb and a conscious way of being in the world. That problems are breathed. Life is breathed. Decisions are breathed. Companies are breathed. Love is breathed. Sadness is breathed. Euphoria is breathed. Silence is breathed. Barcelona is breathed. And we need to breathe it: inhale and exhale all the good intentions we wish for it for this new year. Barcelona, breathe 2026.