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Olga Zagulova,
founder of Therussiannextdoor.com
blog, was born in
Moscow, Russia. She relocated
to Colorado at the age of fifteen
and has been living in USA since
then. Olga graduated University
of Denver with a Bachelor Degree
in International Business
and has held several management
positions since she joined
a global relocation company in
2007. She currently resides in
Colorado along with her husband
and daughter and successfully
manages her career along
with her passion for writing.
I am rushing out of the stuffy
underground station and right
into the frigid cold darkening
day on January 7th. I am shivering.
The snow is everywhere,
the sun has slowly gone down
and the evening dooms are taking
over the freezing blinks of
Couples adhere to many traditions
on their wedding days,
including the exchange of wedding
rings. Wedding rings symbolize
the union of two people
and their pledge to remain faithful
to each other.
No one is exactly sure just
when the tradition of exchanging
wedding rings originated, but
some say it can be traced back to
ancient Egypt, when the oldest recorded
exchange of wedding rings
was made. Reeds growing along
the Nile were twisted and braided
into rings and given during betrothal
ceremonies. The round
ring symbolized eternity, and the
hole within the center meant a
gateway to things unknown. Since
reeds were not very durable, soon
ivory, leather and bone were used
to create wedding rings.
As new lands were explored
and territories expanded, traditions
from one culture were
adopted and modified by other
cultures. The same is true with
wedding rings. According to the
Diamond Source, wedding rings
were adopted by Romans and
incorporated into Western wedding
ceremonies. Romans’ rings
were highly decorated, and some
historians believe wedding rings
If You Get a Chance Take It – If It Changes Your Life Let It. Her Story
a sunny Christmas day. I am
so nervous; I had to take a shot
of cognac on my way here just
to stop my hands from shaking.
I am anxiously chewing
gum to kill the smell of alcohol
and praying that my brand new
Gucci Flora perfume is strong
enough to catch his attention, yet
the scent is not overwhelming to
push him away.
What if he doesn’t recognize
me in the crowd of festive pedestrians?
What if we feel nothing
when we meet? Gosh, even scarier,
what if we feel Something?
It’s been seven years and the last
time I saw him I thought it was
the Last Time for good. What am
I doing here? I am engaged to a
man I have been with for many
years, I am happy, I am content
with my life in the USA. Am I
just casually seeing an old friend,
who happens to be the love of
my teenage years, or am I playing
a Russian roulette with my
destiny and taking a chance that
could change my life?
I should have worn something
different. No I wore the
right dress, it’s not too revealing,
I also have pretty tights on,
so it is a nice balance of classy
and sassy. The jacket is perfect,
I think. I should have taken the
scarf off. Mom said I look stupid
in it. No, I like my white scarf
and my off-white drape jacket,
the combination is so elegant
and fresh. He will see me and
think of a while Lily in a middle
of a brutal dark winter.
It just happens that I was
bored to death yesterday and my
mom suggested that I call one of
my old friends in Moscow, since
I only have a few days left to
spend on this vacation before going
back to New Jersey for work
and wedding planning with my
fianc?. I am dreading the return.
This trip has been a blessing so
far, I got to spend time with my
family, absorb the Russian holiday
spirit that is unlike any other
place on Earth. What better way
to finish the vacation than reconnecting
with an old friend?
I don’t think my mom meant
for me to call Him though. He
typically wakes up the kind of
feelings in me that are much
stronger than banal nostalgia.
I don’t know why my hands dialed
his number and why he
picked up and how he ended up
inviting me over for his birthday
party and how I happened to
agree without hesitation. Did I
flirt on the phone or was I just
happy to hear his voice? I can’t lie
to myself, I flirted, but so did he!
It’s very gallant of him to meet
me at the metro station since
it is dark outside and I haven’t
been to his new apartment yet.
I wonder if he did this for all of
his guests. I wonder if he does it
for all of his women.
It is freezing, where is …?
There he is, approaching me
with his strong walk, puffy black
jacket, skin tight jeans, a white
bull terrier on a leash, and, God
help me, his one of a kind, help-
me-stay-on-my-feet-because-
I’m weak-in-my-knees smile.
Here he is, hugging me and saying
something sweet with his
perfect soft lips, while looking
me straight in the eyes. I’m blind
and deaf for a moment but I’m
all smiles. I am definitely feeling
Something.
As we head back to his house,
where all of his birthday party
guests are already waiting, we
are chatting away about the last
few years, what we have been
through, how great it is to see
each other again, how much
he has matured and how much
I have changed. The crispy snow
under our feet makes the time
slow down and creates the perfect
background noise. Frozen
apple trees everywhere around
us highlight the beauty of a Russian
winter. If you are a writer or
a movie director and need the
perfect setting for a romantic
scene, look no further, it is right
there in the middle of a frigid
winter, among endless snowy
Moscow alleys.
I am still shaking on the inside,
feeling shortness of breath
while my body is silently shivering.
This man, unlike any
other in my life, manages to get
me into a zombie stage without
making a single move. We are
walking next to each other, our
jackets occasionally stroking for
a moment, but my body is exploding
with energy. If we could
only convert affection energy
into actual energy, like they do
with windmills, the planet would
stay “green” for eternity.
Hours pass by and my vision
is becoming foggier by the
moment, not from the alcohol
I am sipping on but from an
Wedding rings are symbolic gestures of commitment
were given to represent ownership
over brides instead of symbolizing
love. These rings were
made of iron and called “Anulus
Pronubus,” or “betrothal ring.”
Rings have been simplified
since those days and ultimately
made of many materials.
Throughout history, wedding
N01/830 от 01.08.2016 e-mail: info@gorizont.com Simply the best
rings were worn on various
fingers and even both hands,
whereas many married people in
Western cultures now wear their
wedding rings on the left hand
and on the fourth finger. Romans
once believed that this finger
contained a vein, called the
“Vena Amoris,” that ran directly
to the heart. Though that is not
true, the tradition has prevailed.
Other legends say that, when
blessing a Christian marriage,
priests would bind the marriage
by saying, “In the name of the
Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit,” simultaneously touching
the ring to the recipient’s thumb,
overwhelming, heartwarming,
comforting feeling of being at
the right place, at the right time.
While I sit next to him, inhaling
his smell, our knees rubbing
against each other and our hands
cautiously touching under the
table as if we were sixteen again,
the time stops and all of my
troubles vanish. There is only this
moment, there is only him and
I, and the rest of his family and
friends who make me feel right at
home. This is where I belong and
all of my arguments of “it doesn’t
matter what his nationality is,
we belong together” that I have
made to my family through the
years, trying to justify my intercultural
relationship with another
man, seem so groundless now.
I slowly enjoy every bite of
the home-cooked Russian food
that I have missed so much in
the past seven years of dating
and living with a foreigner. The
TV is quietly playing a holiday
concert, followed by an old classical
movie, on the background.
My heart is pounding while
my mind is singing “Tradition”
from the “Fiddler on the Roof ”
movie. As I cheer to long, soul
touching toasts and absorb the
birthday spirit, and feel him next
to me, I realize that the time has
stopped and this is one of those
destiny changing moments that
force me to make a decision.
I look up and see both arrows
fight for their new spot on the
clock past midnight. It’s now or
never. I should call the cab before
it is too late to leave. I should
go home while I can.
index finger and middle finger,
before slipping it on the fourth
finger while saying, “Amen.”
Another theory on ring placement
is that wedding rings are
worn on the ring finger because
that finger isn’t used as much as
the rest of the hand, ensuring
delicate ring materials won’t be
damaged.
Ross Simmons Jewelry states
that gold is still the most popular
metal choice for wedding rings,
but couples are opting for some
other metals that are more durable.
Platinum is popular not only
because it is long-wearing, but it
also tends to be the most expensive.
It’s also a dense metal and can
feel heavy in hand. Tungsten carbide
is another durable metal that
has grown in popularity in recent
years. These rings cannot be cut
and resoldered, which means it’s
important to size the rings correctly
the first time. Titanium is both
lightweight and durable, and it’s
popular because it is hypo-allergenic,
making it practical for those
with allergies to other metals.
Wedding rings continue to
serve as symbols of a couple’s
vows and union. Much like the
marriage itself, they are designed
to last the test of time.