I lost one of the earrings on the way to the airport and turned it into a pendant. It reminds me of the sea — its different colors, moods, and states.

We eventually ended our romantic relationship, but remained close friends. He is one of the people who, in many ways, helped shape who I became.

We used to talk about the war a lot. He has always been a pacifist and, among our friends, a natural mediator. He could always find arguments for the other side, and even in difficult disagreements he remained exceptionally polite and tolerant. Without ever studying Nonviolent Communication, he seemed to practice its basic principles naturally.

And now he is at war, working in reconnaissance and locating the enemy.

He is still the same person I can talk to about almost anything. He still doesn’t have rigid positions and still tries to understand different sides.

And I keep wondering how this part of him exists alongside the reality he is in now. Whether being at the front creates another part of a person — one I have never known. And whether, despite everything, he can preserve this ability to listen, understand, and see the human being on the other side.