I marched to protest the war in Vietnam. I marched to protest the war in Iraq. I hated all the wars we’ve fought, but none of them has hit me so hard as this war we are not fighting. Perhaps because I began with a deep feeling of sadness from the pandemic. But more important, as I watch Ukraine being destroyed I can relate to the life being lost and envision it happening here in a way I never could watching war fought in the jungle or in the deserts of Iraq or Syria. I know what it means to choose what is most important, or to run away without choosing. And I know how it would feel to be held hostage in a basement or to shelter in a subway. My feelings of sadness and frustration, which began with the pandemic constantly grow larger and deeper and I often wish I could cry.

A friend sent me a video of President Zelensky and his wife Olena playing guitars and singing. Simple, lovely, peaceful and I cried. What a strange, terrible time we are living in. Worst of all everything we are doing brings the climate crisis closer to the tipping point if we are not there already. Putin may build his Russian empire but I don’t think he will enjoy it very long.