SLOVENIA'S 5 CORE VALUES

She told me stories about what had happened years ago, as she had so many times before, and as always I listened with interest.

»You know, Maja, winters used to be worse than they are today,« she began. »It snowed a lot. And it didn't give us the problems that snow does today, because we were used to that kind of situation.«

I smiled and encouraged her, »Grandma, tell me about a story from those days.«

»Of course, my dear,« she said, getting more comfortable in her old rocker. »We didn't all have cars sometimes. When your mother was little and it snowed, I put her and her sister on the sleigh and we went to the shop. What a joy that was! They laughed and sang all the way. The sleigh crunched on the snow. Of course, I was very careful not to tip them over.«

My grandmother smiled at the memory of this event. »Of course, we chatted about many things in between. We watched the neighbours, stopped at an acquaintance's house and exchanged a few words with them. Nobody was in a hurry. So we often took time for ourselves.«

»Oh, how nice,« I said. »Today we just get in the car, go to the grocery store, shop and go back home. And you could carry all the stuff from the shop and drag the sled behind you?«

»Of course I am,« she replied. »You know, we used to grow a lot of our food at home. I had a larder full of pickled vegetables, we baked bread almost every day, and there were always various biscuits in containers. We had chickens at home, so eggs were always in stock and there was plenty of meat in the cupboard. We only went to the shop for what we didn't really have.«

Then she was silent for a moment, as if remembering something important. »But you know, Maja, we never bought just for ourselves. At that time, our neighbour Angela lived in our street. She was very old and often ill. She couldn't walk for long in winter, and the snow made it even harder for her to get around.«

»And what did you do?«.

»We always brought things for her from the shop,« she said gently. »A little flour, sugar, yeast, sometimes a piece of butter or fruit. She never said much, but her smile said it all. She was grateful for our help and often made us white coffee or cocoa.«

»Have you helped her often?«

»Of course,« Grandma nodded. »And not just us. If someone was shovelling snow, they cleared the path to her house first. Mutual help was a matter of course. No one felt alone."

She looked me straight in the eye: »That's what was most beautiful. We didn't have much, but we had each other."

These stories are not just memories, but silent lessons about how important it is for people to stand by each other. I will always remember them. And I still share some of them with others now and then. 

Maja Grošelj, 2. 1. 2026