The morning after a massive Russian drone attack, I walked to the beach in Odesa. The city was quiet in a way that felt heavy, as if it was holding its breath. The night before, the sky had burned red and orange, and the air still smelled faintly of smoke and metal. Yet, as I reached the water’s edge, I saw something unexpected. People were there, men and women standing barefoot in the sand, their bodies rising and folding in slow, graceful movements. They were doing yoga, offering sun salutations to a pale, silvery sky.
The sea was calm, its waves lapping softly against the shore, as if trying to soothe the earth. Life continued, despite everything. In that moment, watching them, I realized something about Odesa. This city has always been a place of resilience. It carries its sorrow with elegance. It dances, it sings, it breathes deeply, even when the world around it trembles.
That morning on the beach reminded me why I wrote The Rooster House, why I tell these stories. In the face of destruction, there is always something that endures—beauty, art, the stubborn insistence of life itself. Odesa, with its golden light and music-filled courtyards, is a city that refuses to surrender its soul.
As I watched those quiet sun salutations, I thought of the stories my great-grandmother told me as a child—of gardens and orchards blooming after war, of songs sung softly in kitchens, even when the world outside was crumbling. I thought of the children I met in Kyiv’s art school, painting their dreams in bright colors. Beauty is not a luxury, it’s a lifeline. In The Rooster House, I wrote about how memory and imagination help us reclaim what was lost. Odesa showed me this truth once more.
The sea glittered that morning. The air was filled with the sound of breath and the gentle rhythm of waves. Even here, after so much pain, life was beginning again. And so, as I stood on that beach in Odesa, I thought of all of you. Wherever you are, whatever you’re facing, I hope you remember to look for moments of beauty in your own life. A flower blooming by the roadside, the sound of birds at dawn, a piece of music that makes you feel whole again. These small things are not small at all. They are anchors. They remind us who we are, and they help us heal.
I believe deeply that beauty can save us. It gives us the strength to endure, to hope, and to begin again.
What grounds you when the world feels heavy? I would love to hear your thoughts.
Images: 1 by Dmytro Milutin, an award-winning Ukrainian photographer and an owner of the Moluar Parfum boutique in Odesa, 2 by Victoria Belim-Frolova.
18 Comments
KarenA: Sending you and all people of Ukraine love and prayers. My gardens always work their magic for me. March 28, 2025 at 9:31am
Victoria: Thank you very much!
My small garden also gives me lots of pleasure. Even a pot of ginger in my living room works its magic. March 28, 2025 at 9:54am
Tara: Yoga, meditation and getting outside for a walk help me, and I love the ocean, having grown up on the shores of the Pacific. Sending prayers for peace to Ukraine and its people. 🩷 March 28, 2025 at 9:56am
Victoria: Exercising is key for me too. Getting out of the house at least once a day (when I’m working from home) is essential. March 28, 2025 at 9:58am
Dina C.: I sing in my church choir. This is something I’ve done since age twelve. It’s an act of worship, an act of community, and a way of expressing my artistic creative side. It’s an emotional outlet to help pour out whatever joys and sorrows have occurred during that week, so I can start the new week fresh. March 28, 2025 at 10:00am
Victoria: Community is so important. Even coming here is already getting in touch with my community, and I appreciate it very much. March 28, 2025 at 11:16am
Wendy M.: Foraging in Forests. Watching the sea. Cooking. Revelatory reading, such as the poem by Anna Akhmatova, “Everything is plundered, betrayed, sold.” March 28, 2025 at 11:04am
Victoria: What a nice list! March 28, 2025 at 11:17am
Nina Gulka: Hello Victoria-tears are filling my eyes as I read your post to my husband. Yes, for the Ukrainian people, each new day, ‘life was beginning again’. You are a poet and a painter of words written so beautifully. Thank you for sharing the beauty and powerful nature of our people. For me staying in alignment with God keeps me focused on the gifts of everyday life and knowing that in the darkest times miracles happen. March 28, 2025 at 11:23am
Victoria: Thank you for reading and thank you for your thoughts and kind words. April 4, 2025 at 8:18am
Gisele: Wow! When words can translate what the soul carries. This is a rare beauty… to the point of leaving a soul translucent. I am in Brazil, even though we are far apart territorially, we are united, crying out to God for peace to men of good will. My hug is all yours today. March 28, 2025 at 2:53pm
Victoria: It’s the most important sentiment, the feeling that we are close despite the geographical distance. April 4, 2025 at 8:19am
Aurora: It is so uplifting that the people of Odesa find respite on the beach. I don’t live by the sea but going to the lake which is five minutes from where I live provides the perfect spot for introspection. Also a cup of tea always helps me somehow. March 28, 2025 at 4:42pm
Victoria: It was amazing to see. And in the evening, there was a line for an opera premiere. April 4, 2025 at 8:19am
Old Herbaceous: I find peace and comfort in my garden, and making meals with and for my family, and in church. But I’m blessed to live outside a war zone. My heart breaks for Ukraine and I’m very angry at my government over it, but I’m glad you are still safe, Victoria. March 28, 2025 at 6:46pm
Victoria: I have a tiny garden, but even that gives me much pleasure. April 4, 2025 at 8:20am
Hamamelis: What a moving picture, of human beings greeting the sun with grace on the beach after yet another senseless and cruel attack. Thank you for sharing that, and I will keep it in my repertoire of mental pictures of resilience, together with your great grandmother in German boots after the war.
Nature is always grounding for me, a blue sky, the song of a robin, a buzzard soaring high, an owl hooting in the darkness, sights and sounds that many humans who lived before us saw and heard. Perfume also, it always lifts my spirit, Chamade yesterday and Pichola today. Drinking morning coffee with my husband and our dog at our feet. On Luca Turin’s substack I learned about a music piece called Lento by Howard Skempton, one of the most beautiful pieces I have had the blessing to get to know. It allows me to feel that the human spirit will endure.
I hope the Ukrainian people feel that the majority of people stands behind them, as they are us and we are them. Please let them know if that helps. March 29, 2025 at 1:15pm
Victoria: I enjoy Luca’s taste in music, among other things. April 4, 2025 at 8:20am