Today is the 3rd day of the war between Russia and Ukraine. Like most people, I have been following the news with a mixture of astonishment and abhorrence. One thing a Ukrainian woman said, simple and plain, seemed to sum up the utter pointlessness of it all: “The birds are singing and the sun is shining. Who has asked for this war?”
Aside from the human tragedy, I have been thinking about the plant and animal life quite a bit. Right now, there are daffodils coming up in parks around Kyiv. Crocuses, too. Buds are appearing on trees. There are crows who are pairing up again for the mating season. Birdlife going about its normal business. Meanwhile, some humans make such a mess of the world they inhabit, leaving nothing but destruction. It makes me feel exasperated and sad.
As there is literally nothing I can do about it, all I can do is keep myself sane and at least spread love in my own community. The sane part comes from spending time in nature. Today I went foraging for soup ingredients, and found young oysters in abundance. The oysters simply respond to temperature and rainfall. They are oblivious to war. I talked to three very small ponies, who were only interested to see if I had any food. They, too, are oblivious to war. The red kites in the sky above me were also only looking for food. And so was I.
Feeling the wind on my face, touching mushrooms and horses, sniffing the awakening soil, made me feel peaceful and grounded. I wish the same to you all, wherever you are. I’m sharing some pictures from today:
The healthy forager 
Prachtig mooi zoals jij dit hebt verwoord.
Elke dag opnieuw ontwaakt de natuur,wat er ook in de wereld gebeurt.
Poetin en hij niet alleen hebben een zieke geest.
We moeten hopen en vertrouwen dat deze ellende stopt.
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