When my doctor told me that, despite four years of treatment, I had only a short time left, I was faced with a difficult decision: accept my fate or fight?
I didn't want to give in. I hadn't been diagnosed, so I knew I had to find solutions on my own. But I was also scared. Leaving a well-paid job in the city, a comfortable home and familiar surroundings was a big step into the unknown. My soul was screaming at me that I had to change something, and the easiest, and at the same time the hardest, thing to do was to change my environment. I packed a few essentials, got in the car and drove towards the hills of North Primorska, opposite Rezia. There I looked for peace, fresh air and clean water - an opportunity for a new start and knowledge.
I had nothing but a car and a few savings. For the first few weeks, surrounded by the sounds of nature, I camped by the Soca river in my car. Autumn was beautiful, but I knew that winter would soon come and I needed a roof over my head. I met a good person from Kanal and we became friends. She put me in touch with a former classmate of hers who had left her abandoned house in my care. For 20 years it had been neglected, cold and full of the dust of the past.
The first mornings were the hardest. There was a stove in the house that didn't work very well and the chimney sucked. There was electricity, but no internet. I cooked my food on a small wood stove, which was old and rickety, and the chimney didn't work, so the rooms were full of toxic smoke. The owner, in her inexperience, thought that everything was fine and that if it worked 25 years ago, it should work today. On the third day I hear a knock on the door. I opened it in surprise, as I did not know anyone from the village, and there stood a pretty and smiling woman with a large bag of vegetables in her hands.
"I'm Marica, my neighbour," she said. "I see you have nothing. You must be hungry. I picked some food from my garden. Please take some."
I was speechless. I was embarrassed to accept help, but I did. And from that day on, we saw each other regularly. She spoke to me about the people in the village, about their customs, about how many people here help each other. I wanted to contribute to that too. Since I had hardly any money, I helped with various chores and worked in the garden. We exchanged food, clothes, help, knowledge, the warmth of the community; whatever was available.
The idea of an exchange eventually spread or returned to the villages below Ligo, opposite Rhesia. We also exchanged tools and land. Nothing was superfluous, nothing was wasted. There was respect, trust and cohesion between us.
As the months passed, I started to feel better. Partly because of the knowledge I gained from the local people. My body, which was once on the verge of collapse, healed itself with healthy food, fresh air and the simplicity of life. The doctors' predictions did not come true.
Then life took me elsewhere, but I still carry in my heart those places, those people, the warmth of Marija Lovišček and Lovišče. I know that one day I will return. Because there, in the middle of the wild hills and among the simple but warm-hearted people, I found something I had lost in the city - real life.
Silva Požlep, 6. 4. 2025
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