SLOVENIA'S 5 CORE VALUES

She and her female friend had arranged to meet at the shopping centre, have a look around the shops and then stop for a coffee afterwards. She loved days when she could stroll through town without rushing and take some time for herself.

When she arrived at the shopping centre, there were a lot of people there, as the New Year was approaching and everyone was buying gifts. Everything was ready for the longest night of the year. Some were rushing into the shops for last-minute gifts, while others were talking on the phone. 

While walking down the corridor, she spotted something on the floor that the others clearly hadn't noticed. It was an envelope. It was lying slightly off to one side, so it could easily have been missed.

She bent down and picked it up. First she looked around her to see if anyone might be searching the ground for something. No one stopped. People walked past; each absorbed in their own thoughts and in their phone.

When she looked into it, she stopped.

There was a hundred euros in tens in the envelope, along with a gift card for one of the shops in the shopping centre.

»What shall I do with this?« she asked herself.

She decided to take the envelope to the information desk.

There she said what she had found. The employee looked at the envelope and said to her: »Just leave it here. If anyone comes looking for it, we'll return it to them.«

»What if nobody comes?«

The employee didn't reply. 

Martina looked at the envelope, then said: »Well, I can't just leave it here.«

She took the envelope back and left her phone number at the information desk: »If anyone calls looking for the envelope, have them call me. I'll give it back to them.«

The shop assistant looked at her rather surprised: »But what will you do if nobody replies? What will you do with the gift vouchers?«

Martina smiled: »If no one comes forward, I'll donate the money and the gift card to charity. There's a Red Cross box in the shopping centre. If the owner isn't found, I'll put it there. That way it'll at least do some good.«

»Don't worry,« she added.

She then safely tucked the envelope away in her handbag and set off for the coffee she had arranged with her friend.

Her phone rang again in just ten minutes.

»Good day,« a male voice spoke up. »I was told that you'd found my envelope.«

A few minutes later, Martina spotted the gentleman, who waved at her when he saw her at the arranged spot. He came up to her, took the envelope and opened it. He carefully counted the money. Martina was waiting for him to say at least Thank you, but the gentleman said nothing. He simply put the envelope in his pocket and left. For a few moments she just watched him go.

»Well, at least Thank you «you could say that," she said quietly to her friend.

She was somewhat disappointed. Not because she would have expected a reward or anything in return. She had only expected a small word to show that he had noticed her effort.

Nevertheless, she soon smiled: »Oh well. The important thing is that the envelope reached the right person.«

Martina did not receive either a prize or a special commendation that day, but peace of mind gave her the feeling that she had done the right thing. And as she was leaving the shopping centre, she thought: Perhaps the gentleman really didn't say Thank you, but that doesn't change the fact that the envelope was returned to its rightful owner. 

Maja Grošelj, 11 August 2026