Courage is contagious

Painting on the square.

/>Do one small thing; that’s what we’re advocating. And while we have invested time and money in doing our one small thing, it doesn’t need to be as committed as we are.

A few folks have asked how they can help. You’ll know, trust your instincts AND do some research.

Over last winter, we watched online, as the group we’re currently volunteering with steadily transformed an abandoned and abused space into a beautiful garden. It truly takes years for a garden to come into its own and we’re only here to help affirm to the locals that, yes, there is a future here.

Garden

As I wander around Podil, I’m making a mental tourist map of all the possibilities: a bike route of the murals, drop in art parties at the garden, a bird/wildlife walk through the forest of Artist Alley, a bike ride to car free Trukhanov Island, hang out at the new parklets on Kontraktova Square. These are all beautiful things already, in a future of peace, they will come alive.

Building steps


Planting into planter boxes/picnic tables.


For now, we have found, as in a democratic society, that lots of people are taking their own initiative to make a difference. There are plenty of non-government organizations, all with a different cause. Some flame and finish in a quick effort; others endure. Many work in hopes of ending the reason for their existence.

Contemplating her box

Yesterday on a bike ride, we met Lars, from Switzerland, working here with Dobrobat, a home rebuilding program, for those whose homes have been destroyed in bombings. The day before, we met Kelly, who helped drive a convoy of donated vehicles from Denmark. Basel is here from California, as a student of transformative urban landscape design, volunteering with us at DIY Ukraine.

DIY Ukraine is completing a series of projects to help engage and build community. One thing I’ve heard about Ukrainians is they don’t really recreate, they work. The DIY garden offers the type of physical work that shows immediate results in a therapeutic green space. One never regrets time lost in a garden.

Bob and his compost

The Torv Kyiv project gives some human scale to a large public square, offering color, life, shade and seating so people can slow down, relax, and connect in a space they previously had to just get across.

Bob and I have really enjoyed our commitment here and will be sad to go. The people of Kyiv are truly delightful and seem so happy to have these projects. They deserve a normal life, and someday soon, they’ll have it.

We’ve heard that courage is contagious, and it certainly is. So please, listen to that little voice, use your gift of good judgment, and go out and do that one small thing today.

Grandma sharing her love of gardening

Small Kindesses, One Small Thing

Captain Sunflower recently walked 2000 kilometers from Brussels to Kyiv and planted sunflowers in the community garden. 19,345 Ukrainian children abducted by Russia. #BringKidsBackUA

The people here are really amazing. One funny anecdote: for the train, we turned the bike handlebars sideways, so you can’t really steer them as you walk down the platform; they only turn one direction. As the whole crowd was moving down the platform to board some newly added cars, I, very clumsily, tripped over my bike. This woman calmly picked me up, sorted me out and took five extra seconds to look me in the eye and ask if I was okay. I remember she was still touching me, holding my arm or hand. That five extra seconds kind of stops the world and forces you to take a deep breath. She was like an angel, and I don’t even believe in angels. She had the kindest smile on her face.
Here in Kyiv, I picked up a tick while working in the garden. It was well embedded by the time I spotted it and we didn’t succeed in getting all of it out. Some of the mouth parts were still in my skin, so according to protocol I had to get it medically removed. Everyone here was so helpful, from actually taking me to a clinic and translating for me, to offering to drive me for a Lyme test, should I need it. Once again, I came to help, and I’m the one being helped. They were doing One Small Thing. I want to live in a place like this.

Ukraine Garden: do one small thing

Two women sidled through the gate, taking in the garden; Claire, me and Rich deep in gabfest. We welcomed them to their community garden, and introduced ourselves. Rich from New Zealand and we two Americanski. After some small talk, in English, one of them, looking at me asked,
“Why are you in Ukraine?”
I gestured to the garden-in-progress and answered with our message statement for this journey, and held my finger and thumb indicating small, “One small thing, do just one small thing.”
They understood.
One looked at me, “Not so small. That you come is good for our,” she searched for the right word, “psychology.” A nod and smile.
We chatted about how the garden works before they left. They will come back.

Overview og part of garden

Weeding and transplanting

The garden space is an old vacant lot that was used for a dump by the neighbors and worse by the homeless. And little by little, (pomalenko), a place full of broken glass that seemed hopeless is becoming an enchanting, inspiring refuge for people to come in off the street and rest. Here, a community barn-raising effort is called Toloka.

Claire and Rich

Perfect weeding weather; every day!

Clever picnic table planter

Challenging first night in Kyiv

Our first night in Kyiv, sleeping, or trying to, in the hallway of our apartment building because of multiple air raid alerts through the night.

We knew that coming to Kyiv would give us a better sense of this senseless war. And we anticipated air raid alerts on our first night, since Russia has been indiscriminately bombing for the previous two nights. We even had alerts in the early morning hours in Lviv. Is it Putin’s design to disrupt everyone’s sleep enough to make us all zombies during the day? These people are tough; they’re still ready to return a smile. I will learn from them.

Our view for the night

Our home for three weeks. An historic 1910 with thick walls.