Lviv in the morning stillness
Lviv, Ukraine
And once again — to Lviv.
The feelings are already familiar, a little routine, yet still nice. Because this is how almost all my journeys have begun since the start of the war.
A very early, yet cozy Intercity train “Kyiv–Lviv.”
Then — a stop for the night at a hotel. And the next morning — trains to other countries.
I choose these pauses consciously.
First, I can’t sleep on trains. And second — this way I feel like I’m living the journey, not just rushing to get to the destination.
I simply don’t like to rush.
So I wake up early — to get ready calmly. I arrive at the station or airport in advance —
to go through control without stress, get a coffee, something to eat, walk a little, and feel it: the journey has already begun.
It wasn’t always like always. I used to follow the habits of those around me. Only with time did my own values and rules for traveling with ease take shape.
Before, there was rushing, overpacking, being late, feeling stressed —and travel felt tense. Now, it’s just a gentle excitement before new adventures and stories — and a backpack on my shoulders.
Maybe it was coffee that taught me this —to pause, to feel myself, and to hear my values in the quiet. I used to learn how to find joy in simple things,telling myself: enjoy at least a cup of coffee.
And it worked.
Today, I don’t just enjoy it — I pause with it. Thoughts come and go. I don’t hold on to them. At least for this moment.
I’m just here. I am. There is coffee. And the beautiful streets of Lviv.
In Lviv, it feels strange to rush. And not to stop for a coffee :)
This is what energy is — in the pauses, in the awareness of the present moment.
This quiet — outside and within — can feel unfamiliar at first. Because we’re used to noise: thoughts, people, news, constant information.
But it’s in this quiet that something else appears.
Calm. And the feeling of being alive.
If this made you smile,
if it brought a little warmth inside —
you can treat me to a coffee for a new story ☕
Thank you for reading and for treating me to a coffee
Lviv, Ukraine
