SLOVENIA'S 5 CORE VALUES

This time it is not thinking about what to do, how and when. "Until when will it be possible to act like this? How long will the body and the psychic balance last? Every other day I sleep on the couch at my dad's, I'm with him until 4 pm, then I work for a couple of hours in the studio or at home. My husband is waiting, my grandchildren are looking forward to every moment when I am finally home and they can come and play with me. How grateful I am for these moments with them ..."

She is also grateful to be "her own boss", to be able to give her father the support that many elderly people do not have. She goes around the homes and gives pedicures to the helpless and the elderly. For a fee, of course, because that is her job. But many times, when she walks into neglected homes where the elderly are completely alone, left to fend for themselves and all the ills of old age, her heart breaks. 

He knows it's not right to provide a service, issue a bill, collect the money and leave. He knows that the only right thing to do is to clear up his things slowly and spend that time talking. That it is right to listen and hear the person in front of her.

In many conversations, you may hear about a problem that is bothering you further. For example, constipation, which is a real nuisance. Is it a problem to extend the time with the client and give him a colon massage on the sole of the foot? Perhaps to massage the lymph points on the soles of the feet? Is it a problem to clip the fingernails if the person asks for that too? There is no problem if you have a time booked in advance so that you are not in a hurry to see the next client. And Xenia has it. Always, because she knows that she will stay with each person longer than her norm. 

Older people live in their own world. In the past and in difficult life stories and experiences. They have told these stories many times to their families, so their sensors go off when they tell them. They "listen" to everything they have heard before. When someone new comes to the older person, they have not heard these stories before and listen to them. Xenia listens, even though she would rather be around her grandchildren. And interestingly, the elderly, especially the hard of hearing, often don't hear their relatives at all, their sensors go off. But they can hear well strangers or infrequent guests. Well, they actually listen to them and follow them, so they can hear. This tells us how much they want to be seen and heard, even if they may tell themselves that it is all - tiresome. 

Ksenija was staying with a lady in a retirement home, the former headmistress of the institution in Koper. The conversation was difficult. Ksenija asked her a couple of questions, which she answered in few words. She told her that she was introverted, had few friends, but they were real. And she talks to them and socialises with them, she doesn't make new friends even in the home. Nevertheless, they have found common friends and shared unfulfilled dreams. Like conquering Triglav. The pedicure took much longer than it would have otherwise, she even missed dinner. She looked Xenia warmly, gratefully in the eyes and said, "I don't remember having told so much about myself to a stranger. What's more, I've told her so many personal stories about my life. It is true that I missed dinner, and it is true that this pedicure is a relief for my feet, but our conversation today is priceless. It means more than this foot treatment." 

If you look around you, in a block, a street, a suburb, a city, a shop... you can see many people who wish for a ray of sunshine to enter their world: a smile, a handshake, a hug, a short conversation or just a listen. All they need is the proximity of someone who makes them feel part of a community. And there is always the possibility that this person may impart some wisdom from his or her life. As Ms. "I am 97 years old, I have vitality and good health because I have always been a priority all my life. Before my husband, children and others."

Ksenija Bažon, 10 Feb 2025