It's a time to find peace, recharge your batteries and get some exercise, but it can also be a time to roll up your sleeves and spruce up your homes, gardens, fields and orchards. Spring brings new energy - not only to nature, but also to people.
Some houses are occupied by elderly people who find it a little harder to manage more complex tasks. However, certain tasks simply require more hands to get the job done faster and with more care. And when your neighbours notice this, it's not even a question of whether or not to help, because help comes naturally.
My mother Stanka and daughter Irena live with our neighbours in Veliko Mraševo. My husband and son like to help them in the summer by mowing part of their homestead. These days, their neighbours and friends Mateja and her husband Martin have come to help them with their two sons; three-year-old Mark and five-year-old Mike. They agreed to clean up the surroundings of the house together. Two dead trees and some bushes had to be cut down.
Work started to move quickly. There was the sound of a motorbike, which Martin expertly revved, while Mateja pulled branches onto the pile and raked fallen leaves. The children were playing nearby with Irena and Stanka, while the older one was now and then dragging a small branch behind him and proudly depositing it on the prepared pile. When I asked him who he was helping, he answered seriously and thoughtfully that it was his mum and dad. His answer brought a smile to everyone's face - he was so kind and sincere. He seemed to want to include both Mummy and Daddy in his answer, and that is where his childlike wisdom showed.
The work went ahead smoothly and, despite a light rain, they did everything they set out to do. The surrounding area immediately breathed differently. The bushes were neatly trimmed, the trees sawed and stacked in the woodshed, and the weeds and leaves were consigned to the compost heap.
Irena and Stanka were of course happy that the work was done, but at the same time they felt a bit uncomfortable because they couldn't do it all themselves and the help just came out of its own accord. They also said that it was nice to be able to look after Mark and Maja while Martin and Mateja did the work. They agreed that good work pays back with good things.
It was great to see how well they worked together and how the parents were an example to their sons. Not only did the landscaping bring a breath of fresh air around the house, but the friendship and intergenerational bonds were strengthened as a result. And that is what gives such days their special warmth.
Andreja Bakšič Grozdina, 23 Feb 2026
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