Seinfeld

This June, I was looking for a show to lose myself in and escape reality for a bit. I remembered Seinfeld, the ‘90s sitcom about the life of a stand-up comedian and his friends in New York. I had given it a chance a while back, but it struck me as too slow-paced and unsophisticated compared to modern counterparts.

This time, though, it just hit home. I found a sanctuary in its simplicity, in the uncomplicated lives of its ambiguous yet hilarious characters, who joke around and never change from season to season. You can't really project yourself onto them, and that's precisely why the show made me smile rather than feel strong emotions. As it turns out, the creators had a guiding rule: "no hugging, no learning,"  meaning the show deliberately avoided sentimental payoffs and moral lessons. – Elizaveta 

Dacha lifestyle

When I was little, I used to go to my grandparents' dacha every summer: I hung out with my relatives, read monster-long books from my school’s summer list, ate fresh berries and veggies straight from the garden, enjoyed nature and all kinds of summer activities, and, of course, helped around – as much as a kid can.

But back at the very same dacha as an adult now, I realize that there’s much more to gardening. It’s about touching grass both literally and figuratively (good for your mind), creating a beautiful space around you (good for your soul), and putting in a real physical effort (good for your body) to see the results of your work (good for your everything). And let me tell you – that day I burned twice, if not thrice, as many calories as when I hit the gym. 

Though I doubt I’ll turn into a true dacha dweller any time soon, I’d love to bring some pieces of this lifestyle into my everyday and not neglect other ways to stay physically active – Marina

Photoshoots are not scary

I’m one of those people who hate getting their picture taken. It’s always been like that. The logical, but sad consequence of this is that I have very few proper photos with me in them. But I do want to preserve some memories – so, this month, I finally caved and hired a photographer. I prepared by saving some references, and ended up feeling surprisingly good in the process and satisfied with the results. The key is to find someone you’re comfortable with – maybe someone you know personally. – Kseniia