One can endlessly stroll around Kyiv, paving new routes, exploring the unexplored, or simply surrendering to the moment, without relying on previous experiences. Even familiar or habitual places can reveal themselves from a different perspective. The feelings, mood, emotions, weather – everything that happens to you at that very moment, not in the past or the future, is crucial. It is essential to be aware of the mood with which you start your new journey; you must always realize that every moment in life is significant, just like any other, and that there’s no need to set conditions or restrictions, but to let go and just be.

In the past, I often found myself walking somewhere, only to come home and be unable to recall anything from my path – neither the sensations nor the feelings, just a continuous stream of thoughts, delving into the past or planning the future. In such moments, we miss the most important thing: experiencing our life in the present.

Frequently, we compare our impressions with what we have seen before, in other countries, at different times, or under different circumstances. As a result, the more experience we gain, the harder it becomes to appreciate something new, simple things, and the less we enjoy everyday life. It’s quite evident where such thinking can lead in a few years.

The solution is quite straightforward: start each day with a blank slate, emotionally fresh and open, being aware of every thought, every movement, every touch, smell, desire, and sound.

It doesn’t matter which path to mindfulness you choose; what’s important is not to force yourself and not to create inner resistance on the way to it. It’s enough to remember that life is happening here and now.

And today, Kyiv fall was not the same as always; it was the way it was in that very moment, and it will never be the same again. Realizing the uniqueness of the moment adds importance to every instance and fills it with more vibrant impressions.