This photo is 25 years old 🤯

Someone accidentally took it on a film camera during the first days of my relationship with Lera.

It honestly looks like evidence in a criminal case, but I love this photo.

To be fair, back then, this relationship didn’t have much of a chance.

On the left is 18-year-old me. My head was filled with a set of beliefs that I am now ashamed of. A strange cocktail of street codes, rave culture, and the smell of internet cafes.

On the right is a 17-year-old straight-A student, a beauty, and absolute sincerity.

Aladdin and Princess Jasmine. 😄

I still don’t understand how she agreed to a picnic on Trukhaniv Island back then instead of just calling the police.
But we have been together for a quarter of a century now.

Lately, we have been reflecting on why we, being so different, built a lasting union (and grew to look alike).

We believe it comes down to simple things. And I want to share them.

We never asked others how to build a family.
We just did what felt right for us. No templates, no someone else’s scripts.

Walks.
Our Lucky is no longer with us, but that little guy taught us an important habit that we kept:
Walking twice a day. In any weather.
These walks became the place where closeness and depth are built through conversations (or silence).

Humor.
From dumb jokes (which are my responsibility) to subtle inside jokes that only we understand. Humor is one of the simplest threads holding people together.

We trust each other.
And we value this trust.
It makes life much simpler when you are responsible for maintaining trust, rather than maintaining control.

We are different, and that is okay.
We gave each other the right to stay ourselves. With our own views, reactions… quirks. Without trying to “fix” each other.
And, as it turned out, if you don’t try to change a person, they are very interesting to watch.

We never competed in arguments.
Even when they happen, we remember one simple thing: our relationship is more important than winning. We don’t fight for the “I was right” medal.
We always talk things through to the end. We always hug afterward.

And in 25 years, we have still never yelled at each other.

Thanks for not calling the police back then.