Mila Dolman
© 2019 Mila Dolman
KNIT in NEED
Eighteen months ago my father had a complicated surgery. My friends were very supportive - thank you, it all went well. But a combination of Alzheimer's and ischemia of brain blood vessels is not a very good combinations of illnesses to have. In a couple of years they turn a professor into a temperamental child. Yet for me my dad would always remain a scientist, the leader of the Institute of the Physic of the Earth, lover of history, literature and arts and, most importantly The kindest, most loving person on the planet. To tell you the truth I am crying as I write this - this is a hard thing to describe. Well let's make a long story short - my father is fine now - as good as could be expected. He lives at our dacha with two lovely Ukrainian nurses to take care of him (oh, if only he met them a bit earlier...)
So I was sitting here recently and thinking of the number of people of whom nobody takes care. I was lucky to have such a father, and he is lucky to have me, right now. But not everyone is that fortunate. Old people need to hear that they are needed and loved. Sometimes, when my dad is showing a bit of temper, all I need to do is just to come closer, and hug him, and say that I love him. And then he calms down, just as a child would. Right, I wouldn't press you with additional tearful details - you get it that attention means a lot in such cases. Daddy's "girls" attend to him 24/7, and to keep their heads clear (which is sometimes difficult, for he can be troublesome) they do knitting. Knitting for them is a sort of meditation - a relaxation practice. They have knitted him every item of clothing he might ever need, knitted him over from head to toe, and they moved in my direction. They knit me a couple of snood scarves, and that gave me an idea of a project called Связка (Co-Knitting People). There are many people meditating over their knitting, many people who want a trendy thing to wear, and many old people in need of attention. The only thing one needs to do is to connect them - to knit them together.
The idea is simple. We have two identical scarves of different colors. One you can buy for yourself, and it would keep you fashionable and warm in winter. The other one is your personal gift to an old person in a retirement home. You sign a postcard with good wishes to your "partner", we buy fruits and chocolate and give the whole pack as a New Year gift. So you spent the winter wearing your scarf, while your old friend is wearing one exactly like it. It is a simple connection, but it could be a very powerful one.
What do you need to do to participate? You have to choose the color of the scarf and get in touch with me. The price is 3500 roubles (that includes two scarves and presents for the lonely person), and you need to sign that postcard. If you want to add to this - your money, time or care - just let me know.
Choose the color according to the picture - there will be more in future posts. Daddy was very pleased to pose to the photographer and by the end of the shoot he was actually smiling. He sends you all his best and wishes you love and good health.
He did a lot of good to people in his time, my dad. But I think now it is my ti to spread the goodness.
So I was sitting here recently and thinking of the number of people of whom nobody takes care. I was lucky to have such a father, and he is lucky to have me, right now. But not everyone is that fortunate. Old people need to hear that they are needed and loved. Sometimes, when my dad is showing a bit of temper, all I need to do is just to come closer, and hug him, and say that I love him. And then he calms down, just as a child would. Right, I wouldn't press you with additional tearful details - you get it that attention means a lot in such cases. Daddy's "girls" attend to him 24/7, and to keep their heads clear (which is sometimes difficult, for he can be troublesome) they do knitting. Knitting for them is a sort of meditation - a relaxation practice. They have knitted him every item of clothing he might ever need, knitted him over from head to toe, and they moved in my direction. They knit me a couple of snood scarves, and that gave me an idea of a project called Связка (Co-Knitting People). There are many people meditating over their knitting, many people who want a trendy thing to wear, and many old people in need of attention. The only thing one needs to do is to connect them - to knit them together.
The idea is simple. We have two identical scarves of different colors. One you can buy for yourself, and it would keep you fashionable and warm in winter. The other one is your personal gift to an old person in a retirement home. You sign a postcard with good wishes to your "partner", we buy fruits and chocolate and give the whole pack as a New Year gift. So you spent the winter wearing your scarf, while your old friend is wearing one exactly like it. It is a simple connection, but it could be a very powerful one.
What do you need to do to participate? You have to choose the color of the scarf and get in touch with me. The price is 3500 roubles (that includes two scarves and presents for the lonely person), and you need to sign that postcard. If you want to add to this - your money, time or care - just let me know.
Choose the color according to the picture - there will be more in future posts. Daddy was very pleased to pose to the photographer and by the end of the shoot he was actually smiling. He sends you all his best and wishes you love and good health.
He did a lot of good to people in his time, my dad. But I think now it is my ti to spread the goodness.
When I was born when my father has already reached a very respectable age. I am a late child, and I am very grateful to him for having had me. He could have lived his life fashionably child-free and enjoyed it. But instead he became a very devoted dad. He would take care of me all the time: he carried me on his back when we went on tours up till I was nearly seven, he played with my toy theatre, he made up fairytales, he took me to museums, he read to me a lot, he played dress-up games with me. He celebrated my birthday two times a year - once in winter so that my school friends could attend, once in summer so that my dacha friends could be there. He was my best friend, he dedicated poems to me, he would check me at least twice during the night to see if my blanket was in place; he ironed my clothes on both sides, he praised all my drawings and told teachers at my school that me would always believe me and not them in any contradiction. Sadly, almost no one remembers him like this, but I do. He was a perfect man, and it is such a pity that he never met a woman worthy of him.