I went to Ukraine thinking I'd find victims of war and recipients of humanitarian aide. What I found were civilians creatively, consciously engaging in what was going on around them.

~ Dr. Greta Uehling

Can you imagine life in a war zone? The residents of Ukraine have lived amidst devastating war and crisis for years, first with the invasion of the Crimean Peninsula and now with Russia’s further invasion starting in 2022.

For those of us living in the United States, life in a war zone is something we observe from afar. The images we most often see are devastating, showing civilians huddling in fear near bombed out homes and cities.

Yet, when Dr. Greta Uehling visited Ukraine to better learn how civilians were coping with the war, she discovered resilience and brilliance as people often “made choices based on others’ vulnerability,” discovering also that “relationships became essential to resilience.” Dr. Uehling’s book, Everyday War illustrates how individuals found their worldview shifting as they discovered the importance of relationships, awareness of others’ suffering and the usefulness of transferable skills in navigating life in a war zone with resilience.

This week’s powerful interview with Dr. Uehling illustrates the concepts of how to live a Brilliantly Resilient life in the most challenging of circumstances, highlighting the power of employing our transferable skills in service to others. Even Dr. Uehling’s personal journey to Ukraine required a willingness to evolve with changing situations, and not being married to a particular outcome.

Tune into this week’s episode of the Brilliantly Resilient podcast to hear more of Dr. Uehling’s wisdom, and be sure to listen for these additional bits of brilliance:

• I had to let go of my previous agenda. I couldn’t control the occupation of Crimea, but I still had the power of my pen.

• In my case, the anthropological skill set was very transferable and for me that was empathetic listening.

• The wife of a doctor found new life assisting people, finding resilience together with others, through the everyday ethic of care. You improvise your own ethics and decide what’s right.

• People get to live another day. Value is placed on the gift of being alive; that’s what’s important.

Let’s be Brilliantly Resilient together!

XO,

Kristin & Mary Fran