SLOVENIA'S 5 CORE VALUES

Sometimes they just brighten up a person's day, while other times they can - albeit unexpectedly - change someone's life and outlook on the world. So one day, not long ago, I noticed a really very nice gesture by a young boy. Nothing really big, but something very special, I could say. 

Did you know that in a medium-sized city called Žalec, we also have Beverly Hills, Texas, Venice, Bangladesh and the list goes on? These are the local names for parts of the city, and they are named for their characteristics. Beverly Hills is one of the areas of the city where houses, some of them very large and luxurious, can be found. And that is where Grandma Vera Horvat was walking with her grandson in the early afternoon. 

This is her first grandchild and she is all the more eager to spend as much time with him as possible, so she often goes for walks with her daughter and her baby son. This gives her the chance to have a quiet chat with her and spend time with the little one she loves so much. That day was no different.

Vera, her daughter and grandson were walking between the town houses and chatting. As is typical of all toddlers, this one in the pram cried a little and laughed a little. A little happy and a little angry. You know, toddlers always find something to protest about, whether they can say a word or not. 

While walking, they saw a boy nearby, apparently returning from school. He was walking alone, lost in his own thoughts, and sweetening himself with sweets. He had a red bag of Skittles candies and a packet of Haribo gummy candies in the shape of wheels and was enjoying their sweet taste. Although he was lost in his thoughts, he noticed a squad walking near him and heard a toddler in a pram protesting. He must have noticed the smile that spread across the little boy's face when he saw the boy. He finds children very interesting and always notices them. 

Although he didn't know any of the women, let alone the toddler, that didn't stop him from greeting them politely, and then he walked up to the trolley and offered one of the sweets to the toddler inside. I suppose he believed that this would go some way to mollify the little boy's protests, or maybe he just wanted to be kind and share something of his own with the little stranger. How many adults do you know who would do something like that on their own?

The toddler held out his cute little hand, but Vera, although touched by the gesture, told the boy that he was not allowed to eat the sweets yet and thanked him for his unexpected kindness. The boy was not angry, offended or disappointed, he just withdrew the candy and patted the little one's hand before continuing on his way. The two women looked at each other and silently agreed that there is hope for new generations and that today's children can also be very kind, polite and, above all, good people.  

Maja Horvat, 28 Feb 2025