SLOVENIA'S 5 CORE VALUES

But hardly anyone calls it that; for all of us it is simply Eli.

Eli is a petite lady with clear eyes and a calm step. Ninety-two years old, she still puts on comfortable shoes every day, straightens the collar of her coat and goes for a one-hour walk around the city on her own. She does not wait for an escort, she does not look for excuses. Her walk is steady, as if guided by an internal metronome set to the rhythm of moderation.

She has lived her whole life like this - just right. She never overeated, never drank too much. When other people piled their plates to the brim for the holidays, she took one piece of roast and a spoonful of salad. When others toasted enthusiastically, she raised her glass only once or twice, then put it down with a calm smile. Not because she didn't like the delicacies or the company, but because she knew how to listen and respect her body.

She has remained slim throughout her life. Her weight has hardly changed over the decades, as if it were a faithful companion to her character. She does not yet have dentures, which she says proudly, but without bravado, when someone asks what the secret of her health is. But it is not in miracle potions or expensive creams, but in the small choices she makes every day.

If she comes to visit and finds she has left her toothbrush at home, she won't take a piece of cake. »I'll do it another time,« she says lightly and without a hint of regret. She won't touch a sweet unless she is sure she will be able to take care of her teeth later. Many would wave their hand and say that one piece won't hurt, but Eli doesn't compromise with the things she can control. Her consistency is not stubbornness, but a quiet loyalty to herself.

She is the oldest of her surviving sisters. When they sit at the table together, they often joke that she's going to make them all in the basket - to outlive them all. But there is a grain of truth in this joke. While others sometimes moaned about their pain and discomfort, Eli simply got up and went outside. Not because she was made of steel, but because she understood that health is not a given. It needs to be taken care of every day, not just when it starts to squeak.

Her moderation was never strict or lean. She knew how to laugh, celebrate and embrace her neighbours with warmth. But she never went over the edge. She knew that overdoing it today meant overbilling tomorrow. And she did not like debt; neither financial nor physical.

When you meet her on the path along the Drava, her back as straight as a candle, you get the feeling that you are watching living proof of how strong simple discipline can be. In a world that often rushes from one extreme to the other, Eli walks in the middle. Peacefully. Steadily. Moderately.

And perhaps it is in this mindset that its greatest wisdom lies: that life is not a competition to see who can take more, but the art of knowing when enough is enough..

Moderation is not giving up on life, but quietly caring for it; each day anew, through small choices that lead us down a long and peaceful path over the years.

Justina Strašek, 22. 2. 2026