Greetings! My name is Nadiia. I was born on December 15, 1953 and now live in the city of Boryspil, Kyiv Oblast. I have a big family — I have two adult children, two wonderful grandchildren and the funniest super great-grandson.
I am an economist by profession (higher education) and have worked in my specialty almost all my life. But for a long time, I have been in the so-called “free floating” – a pensioner. However, the end of my career only opened up many opportunities for me. I am happy to write poetic children’s fairy tales for my grandchildren, knit (for myself and to order), and also embroider beautiful paintings with ribbons. I had a very busy life. But the war made its own adjustments…
On February 24, I was visiting my daughter. It was there that my first and extremely terrible experience of war began. I decided to go nowhere, because here, in Boryspil, thank God, it is not critical. However, life has changed… It has happened not only in cities and villages. Life has changed in every cell of the body, in the hearts of people. Because these horrors have no justification, and they have no meaning.
The worst thing is that people are dying. Not just the military. Children are dying. Small personalities in whom life was just beginning. They haven’t done anything yet. But the war took them away… But I’m not panicking. I try to be a model of calm and prudence for my family. Even when I cry, no one sees it.
With the spring, I was forced to distract myself from the events that surround us. There is a lot of work in the vegetable gardens, which helps to get rid of disturbing thoughts. Assistance to relatives and neighbors is also on the agenda. But despite everything, I find time for my favorite knitting. It’s even hard for me to remember when I made the first loop. After all, the main thing is not only the process, but also the contemplation of the result. I am happy to immerse myself in the creation of each new product. For me, it is important that the fruits of needlework bring joy to their owners.
For quite a long time, I knitted exclusively for myself and my loved ones. But it happened so, that the first orders began to appear. At first, these were requests to knit something for my environment and friends. But then there were requests from third parties. I even got clients from abroad, in particular, from America and Germany. Therefore, my hobby has turned into an interesting way to earn extra money.
Today, knitting helps to abstract. I just immerse myself in the world of my thoughts, thinking about children and life, making new plans for the future. How without it? I’ve been dreaming a lot about peace lately. And this is the most important thing. In the meantime, as I knit, I am happy to tell my children and grandchildren about the long, interesting life I have lived. My loved ones are very fond of listening to these stories. Just like I, at the time, enthusiastically listened to the stories of my mother and grandmother. I believe that peace will soon reign in my Ukraine.