Short, rainy, autumn days pass, and I somehow get lost in daily tasks and notice autumn too little both around me and within me. Autumn is my favourite season and it always seems to me that it passes by too quickly and that I haven't paid enough attention to the dying nature around me. Yesterday, Croatia celebrated the so-called Day of the Dead or, as they say in Catholicism, All Saints' Day. I am far from the graves of my loved ones, who have passed away a long time ago, and at this time I am touched by nostalgia. But I won't write to you about that.
A lot is happening on the world stage, and unfortunately, wars are still going on in some parts of the world today. I must mention that I absolutely do not agree with the Croatian government’s refusal to accept the Jordanian UN resolution on Gaza. It accepted by 120 UN countries and rejected by only 14, and unfortunately my Croatia was among them. What a short-sighted decision of the Croatian government not to sign the resolution that calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. But I won't write about that anymore.
I will write to you about my friend Ljiljana. I'm sitting with Ljiljana in one of our favourite cafes in Cambridge – Savino’s, and we're talking. Suddenly I become aware of a deep tranquillity and satisfaction, and I think about how nice of a place this Savino is. I quickly pushed that thought of tranquillity down until the next day when I found myself with Ljiljana again in the cafe of a Garden Centre. I sit and the feeling of deep tranquillity and instant peace enters my mind again. That's when I became aware that it was not about the place that had such a calming and benevolent effect on me, but about Ljiljana. This wonderful friend is a successful businesswoman and the only Croatian woman who has ever been an academic and a professor at the prestigious University of Cambridge. Ljiljana's success fills me with pride, but her friendship fills me with satisfaction and happiness. The two of us understand each other well in so many things, and our conversations are always somehow different, but always nice. And when we laugh to tears and when we cry from sadness, it's always beautiful. That's what I wanted to share with you, with the hope that you too will feel peace and happiness while you sit for coffee with your friends. A priceless treasure.
Kristina
Thursday, November 2nd, 2023
Ljiljana i moj spokoj
Kratki, kišni jesenji dani prolaze, a ja se nekako gubim u dnevnim obavezama i premalo primjećujem jesen i oko sebe i u sebi. Jesen je moje omiljeno godišnje doba i uvijek mi se čini da prođe pored mene prebrzo i da nisam dovoljno pažnje posvetila tom umiranju prirode oko sebe. Jučer je u Hrvatskoj proslavljen takozvani Dan Mrtvih ili kako se kaže u katolicizmu, Dan Svih Svetih. Daleko sam od grobova mojih dragih, davno preminulih i u to me doba zbog toga dotakne sjeta. Ali neću vam o tome pisati.
Na svjetskoj se pozornici puno toga odvija i nažalost i danas se ratuje u nekim dijelovima svijeta. Samo ću spomenuti da se nikako ne slažem sa hrvatskom vladom koja je odbila prihvatiti jordansku rezoluciju UNa o Gazi. Tu rezoluciju je prihvatilo 120 zemalja UNa i 14 odbilo, a nažalost među njima i moja Hrvatska. Koja kratkovidna odluka hrvatske vlade ne potpisati rezoluciju koja traži trenutno primirje u Gazi. Ali neću o tome više pisati.
Pisati ću vam o mojoj prijateljici Ljiljani. Sjedim tako sa Ljiljanom u jednom nama posebno dragom kafiću u Cambridgeu - Savinu i pričamo. Odjednom postanem svjesna negog dubokog spokoja i užitka i pomislim kako nam je lijepo u tom Savinu. Tu misao o spokoju sam brzo potisnula sve dok se dan nakon nisam sa Ljiljanom našla u kafiću jedne trgovine bilja. Sjedim i osjećaj dubokog spokoja i trenutnog užitka mi ponovo prođe kroz glavu. Tu postanem svjesna da se ne radi o mjestu koje na mene tako smirujuće i blagonaklono djeluje, već se radi Ljiljani. Ta divna prijateljica je uspješna poslovna žena i jedina Hrvatica ikada akademik i professor na prestižnom Sveučilistu u Cambridgeu. Ljiljanin me uspjeh ispunjava ponosom, ali njezino prijateljstvo me ispunjava zadovoljstvom i srećom. Nas se dvije u toliko toga dobro razumijemo, a naši su razgovori uvijek nekako drugačiji, ali uvijek lijepi. I kad se smijemo do suza i kad zaplačemo od tuge uvijek je lijepo. Eto to sam željela podijeliti sa vama uz nadu da ćete i vi osjetiti spokoj i sreću dok sjedite na kavi sa svojim prijateljima. Neprocjenjivo bogatstvo.
Kristina
Četvrtak, 2. studenog 2023.
Comments