6 inspiring stories that prove 2020 isn't so bad

1. The story of the circulation of books

The idea of taking apart the bookshelves has been ripening in me for months. The last straw was a pile of books on the windowsill, an eyesore pile of books - there was no other storage space in my small apartment!

I knew right away that I was going to play for high stakes. At that time, there were about 1,000 volumes in my home library. Most of them were read, but there were also inherited copies, to which the hand simply did not reach.

As a result, I selected somewhere between 600-700 books and started adding them through Instagram. I thought that this social network would be the most effective way to reach out to the reading audience.

And it worked! Not only subscribers wrote to me, but also random users - friends of my friends. History ceased to be local, when some of the books went to Perm to the new mistress, and the classic novel “Pride and Prejudice” flew to Ulyanovsk to my pilot friend.

Parsing the bookshelves lasted a little over a month. In total, we have attached about 200 books - and this is a success! Another three or four hundred moved to the city library for permanent residence. They are very welcome there.

2. The story of a furry friend

Ekaterina Mironycheva

A friend of my heart and I have been thinking about a dog for a long time. We even went to help the shelter in 2019 and looked at all the puppies living in it, but then it didn't work out. And from time to time, on forays for several weeks, we had one wonderful West Highland White Terrier named Guy. Therefore, we were in limbo: it seems that there is a dog, but it seems that there is not.

Quarantine put everything in its place: Guy went to the main hostess, and we realized that without a dog we couldn't do anything at all, and began to decide who we wanted to get. We came to the conclusion that we want a small and moderately active dog. And the main thing is that she gets along with Guy, who can still come to visit us. The circle immediately narrowed to several breeds. And then I remembered how one day I saw a dog on the street, very similar to the West Highland, but some kind of gray or something, playful and completely adorable. So I started looking and found the Cairn Terrier breed.

The more I read, the more I realized that this is the ideal breed for our family. Compact, but independent, easy to take with you on a trip - to transport, a hotel, but at the same time it can withstand long walks.

Having called all the kennels, I stopped at one. And the half-year wait began: the first three months - the birth of puppies, the second - until they get stronger and they can be taken home. As a result, our cutest dog named Oatmeal moved to us in August.

Oatmeal, if you try to describe it in a few words, is affectionate, restless and on your mind. She likes to teach commands, but only when she is in the mood. We are planning to send her to a puppy school to make her obedient as well. This is not my first dog, I can confidently say: life with a four-legged friend is the best thing in the world!

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3. The story of home comfort

Masha Pcheolkina

I was immediately delighted with the news of the transition to remote control. We have a cool office (was), but I got to it for an hour and a half one way. I usually came home closer to 21:00, when the children are already sleepy and in their pajamas. I felt that I was wasting precious time! The distance allowed me to accompany them to school and have time to be together in the afternoon, and I also started to play sports more actively. I used to come and fall face down into the pillow - the road was very exhausting. And now I go to the sports club next to my house four times a week.

One of the main advantages of remote control for me will probably look rather strange for everyone else. We have a dog from a shelter: when we first took Hope away, she absolutely did not know how to stay alone and howled at the entire entrance. My husband and I survived a thousand and one offensive messages from neighbors on Telegram, took turns asking for time off and working from home, bought a ton of different toys and sweets, took a dog training course, but misfires still happened. Now Hope can lie at my feet all day when I work, and she is calm. And that means to me (and also to my neighbors!).

It took me six months to feel like I missed my colleagues. We often talk on the phone, with someone even every day, but it seems that the moment has come when you already want to hug everyone, and not just hear. More than half of Lifehacker is in Ulyanovsk - we have not seen them at all for almost a year! Miss you guys. But I’m ready to admit it honestly: I really like remote work and I don’t want to go back to the office at all.

4. The story of justified efforts

Ira Avdeeva

I decided to become a graphic designer in the 10th grade. Firstly, I like to draw and I have been studying this since I was 11, and secondly, the profession is in demand. I also quickly decided on a university - I chose UrGAHU: I am from Chelyabinsk, and the university is located in neighboring Yekaterinburg, plus one of the best graphic design faculties in Russia.

The pandemic has played into my hands: distance learning in the second half of the 11th grade is just a gift. There is more time to prepare for exams. I completely devoted it to classes with a tutor in Russian and literature at the Kazan online school, as well as to the study of academic drawing and composition with a teacher already in my city.

There was almost no time left for communication with friends and rest. But the result in the end pleased me: I did not have less than 90 points in any exam - not for the exam at school, or for the entrance examinations at the university. Nevertheless, while calculating the results, I almost lost my mind. I was on the top lines of the table in the rating of my specialty, but I constantly thought that now they would calculate the points of another applicant and that's it - hello, headscarf. But the excitement was in vain. Now I am a first-year student, I study for free, I live in a hostel. I do creative work every day - it's incredibly cool!

An inspirational story about justifiable effort

5. The story of a long-awaited meeting

Tonya Rubtsova

I have been living in Italy for almost four years. Nevertheless, we usually see our family 2-3 times a year, or even more. Either I come to Russia, then they go to Italy. And here we have not met for a whole year and a half - this is a record!

In 2020, I planned to go to Voronezh as usual in the spring. But in Italy, covid began in the first of the Western countries - I did not want to endanger loved ones. Then the question disappeared by itself, because a lockdown was introduced and the planes stopped flying. In the summer, the situation improved, some flights were restored, and I started looking for tickets.

My father and sister met me at Sheremetyevo. I tried not to hug them, because I flew from afar and contacted people, but it was useless: they hugged me anyway. Then I passed the coronavirus test, after receiving a negative result, I could meet with other relatives. It was very nice to finally see each other live, and not through the screens of smartphones. The sweetest thing was when I went home: my brother ran towards me, slipping.

I stayed in Russia for two months. Everyone pampered me with delicious food: Mom cooked falafel and my favorite cauliflower in cream, Dad fried potatoes and made okroshka, Grandma baked pancakes. I also made them all sorts of Italian things, like pumpkin risotto and chocolate pear pie. I spent a lot of time with my brother (he is 12 years old), played consoles, walked the dog, trained together.

An inspiring story about a long-awaited meeting

My whole family lives in Voronezh, and my sister lives in Moscow. I went to her several times. We walked around the city together and went to the Laika monument! Few people know about him, but my husband very much asked me to go there - this is a dog that died in space for the sake of science during the Soviet era. In general, it was cool, but in the end I missed home in Italy, my husband and the cat (which during my absence turned into a huge cat).

6. The story of the opening of horizons

Olga Makarova

This summer I discovered Russia for myself and I am very glad - our country is beautiful. During the year I have visited:

Sochi. I had been there before, but recently my brother moved to Krasnaya Polyana, so there was an opportunity to live. In addition, my brother is already there as a local and shows all sorts of paths and protected places, which is always more interesting. Plus, this time I walked more in the mountains - I really like the whole story.
St. Petersburg and Baltika (Komarovo). Traditionally I do not like St. Petersburg, but I was absolutely delighted with the Baltic. Probably the first place where I wanted to build a house and stay. Cold sea, white sand and huge pine trees - a stunning combination, coupled with peace and tranquility.
Pushkin Hills and Pskov. I went here in golden autumn. I did not expect to meet such beauty there! It was probably very boring for Pushkin to live there, but incredibly picturesque.
And I also traveled a lot around Moscow, now I don’t remember all the towns. Twice we went on a tiny hike - rather a small hiking route with an overnight stay in a tent on the bank of the reservoir. I liked it very much, since my student days I didn’t spend the night in a tent and, it seems, even got younger for these two outings.

An inspiring story about opening horizons

I also decided to try something new. Initially, she presented the young man with a certificate for a parachute jump. And, of course, she immediately wanted to jump. I easily decide on such things, because I love all this and am not at all afraid. I really liked it. I have never experienced such a surge of adrenaline. I plan to train next year in order to jump on my own, already without an instructor.

Besides, I went to learn to ride a motorcycle. Again, for the company with a young man and brother. But, to be honest, I could not finish my studies: once in winter I fell off my bike in Tae and now, every time I get behind the wheel, I remember this fall. So I decided to stop for now and try later, maybe let go. But then the young man learned, and we actively rode a motorcycle together in the Moscow region.

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