What are your most prized possessions? What would leave you most devastated if you were to lose it? For me, near the top of the list is an 11-year-old empty crisp packet. Let me explain.

These were two and a half days in the Slovenian Alps that I’ll never forget. While never losing the grasp of them being two and a half days – the wax and wane of the sun on the mountain was clear and unambiguous – they were some of the longest and fullest days I can remember. Hiking, laughing, sharing stories around a fire at night, eating together in the sun, resting in the shade, meditating, crying, learning, listening and teaching, all made us fully present and aware of the great abundance of life that surrounds us in nature.

…while the kids were having the best play day of their Barcelona lives outside, their mothers were inside getting informed. And this is what they need – to be empowered, not someone’s second hand jeans. The system is not perfect and is obviously creaking at the seams, both here in Barcelona and across Europe. It is up to us, society-at-large, to step in the gap. What is the daily experience for a displaced Ukrainian family? What are the pain points? When moving between hotels every couple of weeks, often at a day’s notice, how can they move forward with their lives?

It all started with a WhatsApp message. The funny thing was, it was as if I was expecting it.

I was riding my bike along the Carretera de les Aigües which overlooks Barcelona and had just got to the top of one of the main climbs when I decided to get off and take a photo. I positioned my bike against a pole which had signs of the destination pointing one way and another. I usually give a name to the ride or run I do for my training log, and the word that came to me in that moment was ‘choices.’ I then looked at my phone. There were no emails, no other notifications, just a single WhatsApp message from my friend Rory, which read:

“Have you got work this week? Want to come to Ukraine? Try to pick some people up. Leave some meds. Food. 24-hour drive.”