SLOVENIA'S 5 CORE VALUES

He was a parquet worker; by profession and by soul. His work was not just his daily bread. For him, wood was a living material that breathed, whispered stories and soothed him. He had been in touch with it since he was a child, watching his father and uncle work the boards, watching the wood bend, smell, crack and slowly turn into something lasting. And so, for him, the decision to take up this profession was a natural one - parquetry was his path.

Zdravko - we affectionately called him Zdravc - was no ordinary worker. He was a workaholic in the best sense of the word. When he woke up in the morning, he would first check the weather and then head out to the workshop or the field. Always with respect for the wood, for the space he was renovating and for the people he was working for. Never half-heartedly, never superficially, but always with soul.

He and his wife built a house in Cigonca. It was surrounded by meadows and forests, and the surrounding countryside was quiet. This place was their home and their refuge. In addition to his daily work, Zdravko was also a cattle herder, which he was very proud of. His cattle were well cared for, fed on home-grown grass, and it was not rare for him to treat a neighbour or acquaintance to a parcel of home-grown meat.

It was October 1998. The rains that started almost imperceptibly quickly turned into a natural disaster. Floods affected a good part of Slovenia, the worst of which was in the vicinity of Žalec, Nazarje, Celje and Laško. Roads were destroyed and many families were left without their homes, electricity and the basic necessities of life. Zdravko first followed the events on the local radio and TV, but he didn't last long. When he saw the scenes of destruction and heard the stories of people who had lost everything, he knew he had to do something.

On his own, he contacted the local fire brigade to see if there was anything he could do to help. He joined a group of volunteers who went to help in the affected area. There, amid muddy yards and collapsed walls, he found a family who had lost everything in the floods - their floors, their furniture and the warmth of their home. As he watched the events unfold, a chill ran through him.

Zdravko gave them a new floor without questions, a contract or an invoice. He brought all the necessary materials and tools. In a matter of days, his hands had rebuilt the demolished floor into a safe shelter. When they tried to pay him, he just nodded. He also brought them a few kilos of home-grown meat from the boot of his car. "Now that you have a kitchen again, you will be able to cook something hot," he replied.

We all knew that he was a master, an entrepreneur and an expert, but he proved that in the most difficult moments, of all the functions and jobs he performed, only one mattered: being human to human. He left his mark on the previously flooded premises and laid the foundations for new beginnings for his family.

He has been physically gone for several years, but his positive attitude and willingness to help live on.

Zala Krupljan, 22 May 2025