Ja, majka / Me, the mother

Postala sam majka pre skoro 8 godina, a tek sad sam spremna da pišem o tome. Ja sam neko ko svemu u životu pristupa studiozno i volim da budem spremna za sve moguće (i nemoguće :-)) scenarije. Čitala sam sve o trudnoći, pripremi za porođaj, vodila dnevnik trudnoće, išla na vežbe pripreme za porođaj, išla u školu roditeljstva, seminare na temu porođaja i roditeljstva, prečešljala sve o svim porodilištima u Beogradu, pa i o porodilištu u Pančevu koje ima dobar program za porođaj po meri trudnice, ma jedino na šta nisam otišla, jer sam kasno čula i nisam mnogo znala o tome, a nisam ni imala podršku da krenem da razmišljam u tom pravcu, jeste obuka kod dule za porođaj kod kuće, mada sam i o tome čitala i divila se, onako iz daleka.

Moj prvi porođaj je bio potpuno drugačiji od svega što sam pročitala, čula i vežbala! Klasičan traumatični, indukovani, porođaj prvorotke, samo u mom slučaju još i bez epidurala. Ne želim o tom iskustvu da pišem, jer time ne bih nikome pomogla, rećiću samo da je svaka trudnoća priča za sebe baš kao i svaki porođaj i baš kao i svaka beba koja nakon toga dođe na svet. Samo ću reći da ako znate da ćete biti pod indukcijom zaista dobro razmislite i o epiduralu, ja sam naivno mislila da moja prirodna elastičnost, visok prag bola i decenija bolnih ciklusa mogu da preguraju porođaj, ali indukcija nije prirodna sila i ne može se prirodom pobediti, iz mog iskustva.

U svakom slučaju, posle dva dana u porodilištu, došle smo kući moja bekana i ja i igranka je počela. Dala mi je taman toliko fore da mi se gvožđe, koje je čudom nestalo iz mog krvotoka, malo podigne na normalu i da mogu da sednem iole pristojno, a onda su krenuli grčevi, pa teško uspavljivanje. Nosali smo je, pevali, nunali, masirali, otkrili panda položaj na ruci, pa white noise, koji je nju kao smirivao, ali zato mog muža izluđivao :D. Ja sam u svom zamišljenom idealu planirala da joj ne dajem cuclu, nisam je ni kupila, dojila sam je kad god je tražila ili plakala. Sva sreća pa je moja sestra, već iskusna majka, prilikom prve posete donela cuclu. Čini mi se da se ni grčevi još nisu skroz završili, nju su počeli da svrbe desni, balavila je, sve što joj se nađe u vidnom polju stavljala u usta, ličila je na klovna sa crvenom farbom oko usta. Uspavljivanje je i dalje bilo čista akrobatika! Rećiću vam samo da je prvi put prespavala celu noć i to nekoliko noći za redom sa punih godinu i po dana! Ja još uvek nemam taj luksuz.

Dojenje mi je bilo jako važno i za to sam se pripremala upijajući sve savete. Tek sam sa drugim detetom shvatila da mi prvo dete nije uopšte bilo dobro postavljeno za sisanje, ali šta je tu je, čovek se uči dok je živ. Kad su prošle ragade, koje su većim delom bile posledica upravo loše postavljene bebe na dojku (obavezno pitajte neku babicu ili iskusnu dojilju da vam pokaže kako se u startu beba postavlja), dojenje mi je bilo najlepši deo materinstva, toliko nežnosti, lepote, ljubavi, bliskosti i mira u tako jednostavnom činu, dojenje je čisto služenje božanskom sa najvišim smislom!

Koliko sam uživala u dojenju, toliko mi je muke zadavalo menjanje pelena. Ne mislim na tehniku prepovijanja, to sam savladala lako, kao iskusna tetka dve divne duše. Činilo mi se da moje dete non stop kaki i piški i ozbiljno trenira moju izdržljivost. Presvuci dete pre podoja, presvukla, podojila, dete se ukakilo, presvuci ponovo. Presvuci dete posle podoja, dete zaspalo na sisi, nit’ da je budiš, nit’ da je ostaviš da spava sa punom pelenom! Nemoguća misija. Onda podrigivanje, majko moja, nosaj u specijalnom položaju, lupkaj po leđima, ali pogodi pravo mesto. Taman mislim, podrignula je, uspavam i spustim u krevetac, ne prođe ni 10 minuta, eto nje ili se ukakila ili nije do kraja podrignula.

Eh, kad se samo setim svih dogodovština! Ipak, to su sve najslađe muke, jer one male čudesne stvari koje se dešavaju u međuvremenu su toliko divne da sam stalno bila u zahvalnosti što svedočim tom čudu od života koje se odvija pred mojim očima i na mojim rukama.

Tijana Stupljanin

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I became a mother almost 8 years ago, and only now am I ready to write about it. I am someone who approaches everything in life studiously and I like to be ready for all possible (and impossible :-)) scenarios. I read everything about pregnancy, preparation for childbirth, kept a pregnancy diary, went to childbirth preparation exercises, went to parenting school, seminars on childbirth and parenthood, combed everything about all maternity hospitals in Belgrade, including the maternity hospital in Pancevo which has a good childbirth program tailored for a pregnant woman, the only thing I didn’t go to, because I heard about it a bit late and didn’t know much about, and I didn’t even have the support to start thinking in that direction, is training for giving birth at home, although I also read about it and admired it, from afar.

My first childbirth was completely different from everything I read, heard and practiced! Classic traumatic, induced, birth of a first-born, only in my case without an epidural. I don’t want to write about that experience, because I wouldn’t help anyone with that, I’ll just say that every pregnancy is a story for itself, just like every birth is and just like every baby that comes into the world after that. I’ll just say that if you know you’re going to be induced, think really well about the epidural, I naively thought that my natural elasticity, high pain threshold, and decades of painful cycles could push through childbirth, but induction is not a natural force and can’t be beaten naturally. From my experience.

Anyway, after two days in the maternity hospital, my baby and I came home and the party started. She gave me just enough time to get my iron, which miraculously disappeared from my bloodstream, to rise a little to normal and to be able to sit at all decently, and then the cramps started, and then hard times putting her to sleep. We carried her, sang, swayed, massaged, discovered the panda position on the arm, then the white noise, which calmed her down, but drove my husband crazy: D. In my imagined ideal, I planned not to give her a pacifier, I didn’t even buy it, I breastfed her whenever she asked or cried. Luckily, my sister, already an experienced mother, brought a pacifier during the first visit. It seemed to me that the cramps are not completely over yet, her gums started itching, she was drooling, she put everything that was in her field of vision in her mouth, she looked like a clown with red paint around her mouth. Putting her to sleep was still pure acrobatics! I’ll just tell you that she slept through the night for the first time, several nights in a row when she was a year and a half old! I still don’t have that luxury.

Breastfeeding was very important to me and I prepared for it by absorbing all the advice. It was only with the second child that I realized that my first child was not well placed for breastfeeding at all, but what is there is, a man learns while he is alive. When the nipple soreness was over, which were mostly the result of a badly placed baby on the breast (be sure to ask a midwife or an experienced breastfeeding mother to show you how to put the baby in the beginning), breastfeeding was the most beautiful part of motherhood, so much tenderness, beauty, love, intimacy and peace in such a simple act, breastfeeding is pure service to the divine with the highest meaning!

As much as I enjoyed breastfeeding, changing the diapers troubled me so much, on the other hand. I don’t mean the changing technique, I mastered it easily, as an experienced aunt of two wonderful souls. It seemed to me that my child was constantly pooping and peeing and seriously training my endurance. They say change the diaper before breastfeeding, I changed the diaper, breastfeed, the baby pooped, change the baby again. Then, change the baby after breastfeeding, the baby fell asleep on the breast, neither to wake her up, nor to leave her to sleep with a full diaper! Mission Impossible. Then burping, oh my god, carry her in a special position, tap her back, but hit the right place. Just as I think she burped, she falls asleep and I put her down in the crib, not even 10 minutes passes, there she is, she either filled her diaper or didn’t burp all the way.

Eh, when I just remember all the adventures! Still, these are all the sweetest torments, because those little miraculous things that are happening in the meantime are so wonderful that I have always been grateful to witness that miracle of life unfolding before my eyes and on my hands.

Tijana Stupljanin

Istina će te osloboditi / The truth will set you free

Kada iz tebe izađe novi život, taj prvi dodir, prvi pogled na potpuno novo biće učini da u trenu spoznaš svu veličinu Boga, života, kreacije.

Ogromni potencijal koji svaka duša donosi na ovaj svet odjednom postaje opipljiv. U tom majušnom telu, ti vidiš diva. Neobjašnjiva je roditeljska ljubav i vera i nada, a nada poslednja umire.

Ume da bude zeznuta ta nada. Držimo je se čak i kad znamo, kad jednim delom duše osećamo istinu, istinu koja možda boli, ali je sve jedno tu i neće nestati samo zato što je ignorišemo ili potiskujemo.

Ipak, ta nada nas drži na površini, daje nam snagu da ne potonemo, podgreva nam veru dok ne postanemo spremni za istinu. A istina… Istina će nas osloboditi.

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When a new life comes right out of you, that first touch, the first look at that brand new being makes you perceive all the magnificence of God, life, creation.

Enormous potential that every soul brings to this world suddenly becomes tangible. In that tiny body, you see a giant. Parental love and faith and hope is just inexplicable, and the hope dies last.

That hope can be tricky. We hold on to it even if we know, when we feel with one part of our soul the truth, the truth that may hurt, but is nevertheless there and won’t disappear just because we ignore it or suppress it.

However, that hope is keeping us on the surface, gives us strength not to sink below, warms up our faith until we become ready for the truth. And the truth… The truth will set you free.

Tijana Stupljanin

Magija obične žene / Magic of the ordinary woman

Obična žena, ona koja tka nevidljivi omotač zaštite oko svojih voljenih. Ona koja bdi nad dečijim snom. Žena koja kao magijom drži porodicu na okupu, zlatnim nitima spaja sa ognjištem i one koji odu daleko. Nije ona ni kuvarica ni spremačica. Ona je čarobnica koja od hrane pravi gozbu, od ružnih snova bajku, iz briga iznedri nadu, iz straha hrabrost.

Znate svi bar jednu takvu, običnu ženu koja stvara neobičnu svakodnevicu. Jednom rukom kuva, drugom čuva, trećom mazi, četvrtom krpi, petom drži knjigu, šestom kupi veš, sedmom sprema kuću, osmom grli, devetom grdi, desetom se šminka, jedanaestom neguje, dvanaestom…

Ona je sve to: majka, žena, supruga, domaćica, kuvarica, drugarica, plesačica, vidarka, negovateljica, keva, vaspitačica, zabavljačica, ljubavnica, sekretarica, krojačica, učiteljica, vila i veštica.

Magija obične žene je ona nevidljiva snaga, ljubav i poverenje što drži porodicu na okupu, što od malih, običnih stvari svija gnezdo puno ljubavi.

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An ordinary woman, one who weaves an invisible sheath of protection around her loved ones. The one who watches over a child’s dream. A woman who, as if by magic, keeps the family together, with the golden threads connects to the hearthstone those who go far. She is neither a cook nor a cleaner. She is a sorceress who makes a feast out of food, a fairy tale out of bad dreams, hope out of worry, courage out of fear.

You all know at least one such, ordinary woman who creates an unusual daily life. She cooks with one hand, guards with the other, caresses with the third, stitching clothes with the fourth, holds a book with the fifth, folds clothes with the sixth, cleans the house with the seventh, hugs with the eighth, scold with the ninth, puts on make-up with the tenth, nurtures with the eleventh…

She is all that: a mother, a wife, a woman, a housewife, a cook, a friend, a dancer, a healer, a caregiver, a mom, an educator, an entertainer, a lover, a secretary, a tailor, a teacher, a fairy and a witch.

The magic of an ordinary woman is that invisible strength, love and trust that keeps the family together, that bends a nest full of love from small, ordinary things.

Tijana Stupljanin

Majčinska ljubav / Mother’s love

Čista, bezuslovna, kao nebo velika… Satkana od čežnje, od bola, od svih strahova sakupljenih u zrno nade, u dečiji smeh zaodenuta, u zenici oka čuvana, neuhvatljiva, neshvatljiva, na sve spremna. Jedna je majka, jedna je ljubav, jedinstvena. Gledam svoje detence i često se pitam – Otkuda si se ti stvorilo, savršenstvo maleno? Da li sam te ja stvorila? Ne. Ja sam te samo poželela, usnila, Bogu molitvu izustila.

Sva sam od pitanja. Gledam te, posmatram, čekam da me usmeriš na pravi put. Usput učim od tebe šta je sreća, šta je radost, šta je igra, šta je magija, šta je život, kolika je ljubav i dubina ljuskog srca, majčinskog zagrljaja.

Volim te i zahvalna sam ti dušo malena, što postojiš, što si “moja”, što mi pružaš ogromnu priliku da svakoga dana živim ljubav.

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Pure, unconditional, as big as the sky… Woven of longing, of pain, of all fears gathered in a grain of hope, clothed in children’s laughter, guarded in the pupil of the eye, elusive, incomprehensible, ready for anything. There is one mother, one love, unique. I look at my little one and often ask myself – Where did you come from, little perfection? Did I create you? No. I just wished for you, I dreamed, I said a prayer to God.

I’m all from questions. I look at you, I watch you, I wait for you to guide me on the right path. Along the way, I learn from you what happiness is, what joy is, what play is, what magic is, what life is, how great is love and the depth of the human heart, the mother’s embrace.

I love you and I am grateful to you, little baby, for existing, for being “mine”, for giving me a great opportunity to live love every day.

Tijana Stupljanin

Život za život – sve za dete / Life for life – everything for a child

Prvih 5 godina pokušavamo da ih skinemo sa sebe, onda sledećih pet godina pokušavamo ponovo da ih prikačimo za sebe, pa narednih pet godina oni pokušavaju da nas otkače od sebe, pa se onda mi trudimo da se ponovo prikačimo za njih i tako u nedogled… Odnos roditelja i dece i odnos dece i roditelja, ostaje večita misterija života.😊

Gledala sam danas animirani film o Herkulu, čuvenom heroju iz Grčke mitologije. U jednom trenutku otac, vrhovni Bog Zevs, kaže svom sinu da mora postati heroj kako bi ponovo postao Bog, a za to je potrebno da učini istinski herojsko delo. I tako se Herkul odlučio da vežba i trenira svakodnevno, kako bi postao pravi heroj. Međutim, iako je postao heroj i stekao slavu u narodu, to nije bilo dovoljno. I na kraju, ključni herojski čin koji ga je vratio među Bogove je bilo davanje svog života u zamenu za život žene koju voli.

To me je navelo na razmišljanje o simbolici te ideje, koja se javlja u mnogim pričama, život za život, žrtvovanje iz ljubavi… Podsetilo me je na roditeljstvo. Na neki način mi dajemo naš život kakav poznajemo do trenutka dok ne postanemo roditelji, za novi život. Neki roditelji i bukvalno žrtvuju sebe ne bi li njihova deca živela bolje, lepše, više od njih… Ne shvatamo svi žrtvu na isti način, ali odricanje od mnogo stvari je sastavni deo roditeljstva.

Ne mislim da deca treba da dobiju sve što požele i ne postoji univerzalni pristup vaspitanju koji možete da reprodukujete na dete i samo ubirate plodove. Pa sa koliko se izazova svako od nas susreo u svom životu, svi smo različiti i živimo svoj život najbolje što umemo, često posustajemo, pa se ponovo podižemo i idemo dalje. Učimo, menjamo se, nekada se godinama vrtimo u krug ili tapkamo u mestu, a onda pored svega toga dobijemo odgovornost za još jedan, dva, tri… života. Kako neko ko nije sam naučio da bude srećan, da voli, da živi ispunjenim životom, da sa lakoćom prevazilazi izazove koji su svakodnevni, a nekada i vrlo kompleksni, kako neko ko nema samopouzdanja može da nauči dete da bude srećno i živi svoj život punog potencijala sa lakoćom i radošću?

Ipak, kao što smo mi svi unikatni na svoj način, tako je i svako dete svoje. Neku decu treba vaspitavati, a neku samo negovati. Ne moramo biti savršeni, ali moramo biti svoji i iskreni. Deca znaju mnogo više nego što mislimo, jer su njihove misli čiste i osećanja duboka. Nekada pomislim da ne treba da ih učimo da se prilagođavaju ovom svetu, već da grade svoj.

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You become a parent and realize that you have permanently exchanged one life for another, and that, whether you like it or not, you have a huge responsibility and influence on a life that is not yours, and that it is up to you to teach someone about life, no matter how much you have mastered it yourself.

For the first 5 years we try to take them off ourselves, then for the next five years we try to attach them to ourselves again, then for the next five years they try to detach us from themselves, and then we try to attach to them again and so on indefinitely… The relationship between parents and children and the relationship between children and parents remains an eternal mystery of life.

Today I watched an animated film about Hercules, a famous hero from Greek mythology. At one point, the father, the supreme God Zeus, tells his son that he must become a real hero in order to become God again, and for that he needs to do a truly heroic deed. And so Hercules decided to practice and train every day, in order to become a real hero. However, although he became a hero and gained fame among the people, that was not enough. And finally, the key heroic act that brought him back among the Gods was giving his life in exchange for the life of the woman he loves.

That made me think about the symbolism of that idea, which appears in many stories, life for life, sacrifice out of love … It reminded me of parenthood. In a way we give our life as we know it until the moment we become parents, for a new life. Some parents literally sacrifice themselves in order for their children to live better, more beautiful, more than them … We do not all understand sacrifice in the same way, but giving up many things is an integral part of parenthood.

I don’t think that children should get everything they want and there is no universal approach to upbringing that you can reproduce to a child and just reap the rewards. Well, how many challenges did each of us face in our lives, we are all different and we live our lives the best we can, we often fall, so we get up again and move on. We learn, we change, sometimes for years go around in a circle or tap in one place, and then, in addition to all that, we get responsibility for another one, two, three… lives. How someone who has not learned to be happy, to love, to live a full life, to easily overcome challenges that occur daily, and are sometimes very complex, how someone who does not have self-confidence can teach a child to be happy and live his life in a full potential with ease and joy?

However, just as we are all unique in our own way, so is every child. Some children need to be brought up, and some just need to be nurtured. We don’t have to be perfect, but we do have to be our own and honest. Children know much more than we think, because their thoughts are pure and their feelings are deep. Sometimes I think that we should not teach them to adapt to this world, but to build their own.

Tijana Stupljanin

Koliko vredim? / What is my worth?

Onoliko koliko volite sebe – tolika je vaša cena – i život poštuje tu cenu.

–  Miguel Ruiz, Moć Ljubavi

How much you love yourself – such is your price – and life respects that price.

– Miguel Ruiz, The Mastery of Love: A Practical Guide to the Art of Relationship –Toltec Wisdom Book

Da li znate priču o žabici koja je pobedila u trci i jedina stigla do cilja? (The Frogs’ Race by Dulce Rodrigues) Priča ide otprilike ovako: u šumi je bila organizovana trka, žabica koja uspe da se prva popne na visoki toranj je pobednik. Trka je počela, međutim publika je, umesto da bodri takmičare, poput nekog starog mrzovoljnog žapca, počela da dovikuje – žabe ne mogu da se penju, nikada nećete uspeti, spore ste, to je nemoguće, šta zamišljate ko ste i slična omalovažavanja. Polako su jedna po jedna žabica odustajale i napuštale trku. Na kraju je ostala samo jedna žabica koja se uopšte nije osvrtala već je hrabro išla napred. Kada se popela na vrh i stigla na cilj okrenula se i shvatila da je pobedila, bila je presrećna i zadovoljna, mada malo tužna što ni jedna druga žabica nije stigla na cilj. Svi su se pitali po čemu je posebna baš ta žabica, da bi shvatili da je ona gluva i da nije čula negativne povike i obeshrabrivanje iz publike, već je slušala samo svoj unutrašnji glas koji ju je konstantno bodrio!

Čovek je društveno biće, od kada se rodimo usmereni smo na druge ljude. Dete svet otkriva kroz svoj odnos sa majkom pre svega, pa onda i sa ocem, najbližom porodicom, zatim sa vršnjacima, učiteljima, nastavnicima, komšijama i svim ljudima koje u životu, makar i na kratko, sreće. Svi znamo iz sopstvenog iskustva koliko nam znači pohvala, razumevanje, neko da nas sasluša, neko da nas samo zagrli, neko ko nam je u bilo kojoj sferi autoritet da nam da potvrdu da smo nešto dobro uradili… A šta kada sve to izostane?

Da li nas je iko učio kako da budemo uvek svesni svoje vrednosti i kako da sebi budemo najveća podrška? Često se dogodi u životu da roditelji, koliko god dobri i dobronamerni bili, našem vaspitavanju prilaze iz sopstvenih ograničenja, negativnih iskustava, strahova, pa i iz neznanja. Sigurno ima i onih koji se rode sa neverovatnim samopouzdanjem i verom u sebe i sopstvenu veličinu, kao i onih koje roditelji, ili neki drugi autoritet, uspeju da zadoje ovim vrednostima, ali verujem da je za većinu nas bilo potrebno mnogo saplitanja, učenja, padanja i ustajanja dok nismo spoznali svoju istinsku vrednost i podesili svoj život prema njoj.

Slušala sam nedavno govor Arnolda Švarcenegera u kome je govorio o uspehu. Fasciniralo me je to što su njemu u uspehu u stvari pomogle baš one osobine koje su svi isticali kao njegove mane. I šta bi sa njim bilo da je umesto sebe poslušao sve te druge koji su mu govorili da neće uspeti zbog jakog austrijskog naglaska, zbog prevelikih mišića, neobičnog imena, itd., a on je od bolešljivog, mršavog dečaka iz siromašnog sela u Austriji postao jedan od najplaćenijih glumaca na svetu i guverner Los Anđelesa! On je imao veliku viziju svog života i naporno je radio da je ostvari, ali čini mi se od svega, da mu je najviše pomoglo to što nije slušao ljude koji su mu govorili da neće uspeti i davali mu, pri tom, vrlo realne razloge zašto neće uspeti! Jedino je bilo važno da on sebe vidi kao Mister Univerzuma, glavnog glumca, guvernera…

Toliko je uspešnih priča svuda oko nas i to najviše tamo gde ih najmanje očekujemo. Ljudi koji dožive povredu i doktori im kažu da više nikada neće hodati samostalno, a oni postanu trkači, gimnastičarka sa veštačkom nogom, milioneri koji su odrastali u bedi, ljudi koji dožive najveću tragediju, a onda tu svoju tragediju pretvore u nešto veće od života, ljude koji prežive nemoguće situacije i one koji urade neviđene stvari… Međutim, isto tako imate ljude kojima su doktori greškom rekli da će umreti za mesec dana i oni zaista umru, iako su u stvari bili zdravi, ili veoma talentovane ljude koji padnu u depresiju ili se okrenu porocima i nikada ne dostignu svoj puni potencijal.

Kada smo deca uče nas da slušamo druge. Ja sam prva koja deci skoro svakodnevno govori koliko je važno da slušaju svoje roditelje, ali ih takođe učim da su oni najbolje od nas dvoje i da imaju potencijal kada porastu da budu bolji i pametniji od nas. Isto tako ih učim da čuju svakoga, ali da uvek procene da li to što čuju od drugih korespondira sa njihovim unutrašnjim glasom. Problem nastaje kada mi zaboravimo svoju vrednost sa kojom dolazimo na ovaj svet i počnemo da se oslanjamo na ono što drugi ljude misle ili govore o nama. Možda će nas drugi i preceniti, ipak je veća verovatnoća da će nas podceniti, ali ni jedna od ove dve varijante neće nas usrećiti. Kao što istinsku sreću možemo jedino pronaći u sebi, duboki mir spoznati iznutra, tako i sopstvenu vrednost moramo osetiti u sebi i onda je podeliti sa svetom, a to ćemo uspeti ako se podsetimo svakodnevno ko smo, povezujući se sa sobom, vraćajući se suštini i osluškujući svoju dušu. Tehnika za to ima danas baš koliko hoćeš! Meni su najdraže: ples slobodnim stilom uz muziku koja me podiže, razgovor sa svojim odrazom u ogledalu, pevanje, crtanje ili slikanje, pisanje, yoga, šetnja, gledanje u prirodu…

Henri Ford je jedan od najuspešnijih ljudi ikada i znao je svoju vrednost, evo šta je on rekao o tome: “Mene ne brine šta drugi misle o meni, zato što znam svoju pravu vrednost. A milijarder sam postao zato što znam s novcem i umem da razlikujem prave vrednosti od lažnih.”

Na kraju, vredimo onoliko koliko smo zadovoljni sobom i koliko uživamo u životu. Ako se nekada dogodi da pokleknete pred životom i niste u stanju da volite sebe, pogledajte u oči onih koje volite i koji vole vas, oslušnite šta će vam reći, oni vide u nama svu našu lepotu i dobrotu i kada nismo u svom najboljem izdanju. Ljubav će nas podsetiti na najlepši mogući način na to ko smo i koliko smo dragoceni.

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Do you know the story of a frog who won the race and was the only one to reach the finish line? (The Frogs’ Race by Dulce Rodrigues) The story goes something like this: a race was organized in the woods, the frog that manages to climb the high tower first is the winner. The race started, but the audience, instead of cheering on the competitors, like an old grumpy frog, started shouting – frogs can’t climb, you will never succeed, you are slow, it is impossible, who do you imagine you are and similar insults. Slowly, one by one, the frogs gave up and left the race. In the end, there was only one frog left, which did not look back at all, but went forward bravely. When she climbed to the top and reached the finish line, she turned around and realized that she had won, she was overjoyed and satisfied, although a little sad that no other frog had reached the finish line. Everyone wondered what made that frog special, and they discovered that she was deaf and that she did not hear negative shouts and discouragement from the audience, but only listened to her inner voice, which constantly encouraged her!

Man is a social being; from the minute we are born we are focused on other people. The child discovers the world through his relationship with his mother first of all, and then with his father, the closest family, then with his peers, caregivers, teachers, neighbors and all the people he meets in life, even for a short time. We all know from our own experience how much praise and understanding means to us, someone to listen to us, someone to just hug us, someone who is our authority in any sphere to confirm that we have done something good… And what if all that is missing?

Has anyone taught us how to always be aware of our values ​​and how to be our greatest support? It often happens in life that parents, no matter how good and well-intention they are, approach our upbringing out of their own limitations, negative experiences, fears, and even out of ignorance. Sure, there are those who are born with incredible self-confidence and faith in themselves and their own greatness, as well as those whose parents, or some other authority, manage to instill these values in them, but I believe that most of us needed a lot of tripping, learning, falling and rising until we realized our true value and adjusted our lives to it.

I recently listened to a speech by Arnold Schwarzenegger in which he spoke about success. I was fascinated by the fact that the very qualities that everyone has pointed out as his shortcomings actually helped him in his success. And what would have happened to him if he had listened to all those others who told him that he would not succeed because of his strong Austrian accent, because of his oversized muscles, his unusual name, etc. Instead he has went from sickly, skinny boy from a poor village in Austria to one of the highest paid actors in the world and the governor of Los Angeles! He had a great vision of his life and worked hard to make it happen, but it seems to me that what helped him the most was that he did not listen to people who told him that he would not succeed and gave him, at the same time, very real reasons why it will not work! The only thing that mattered was that he saw himself as Mr. Universe, the main actor, the governor and fallowed that vision…

There are so many success stories all around us, mostly where we least expect them. People who get injured and doctors tell them that they will never walk on their own again, and they become runners, a gymnast with an artificial leg, millionaires who grew up in misery, people who experience the greatest tragedy, and then turn their tragedy into something bigger than life, people who survive impossible situations and those who do unseen things… However, you also have people who were mistakenly told by doctors that they would die in a month and they do die, even though they were actually healthy, or very talented people who fall into depression or turn to vices and never reach their full potential.

When we are children they teach us to listen to others. I am the first one who tells their children almost every day how important it is to listen to their parents, but I also teach them that they are the best of the two of us and that they have the potential when they grow up to be better and smarter than us. I also teach them to hear everyone, but to always assess whether what they hear from others corresponds to their inner voice. The problem arises when we forget our value with which we come to this world and begin to rely on what other people think or say about us. Maybe others will overestimate us, but they are more likely to underestimate us, however neither of these two variants will make us happy. Just as we can only find true happiness in ourselves, know deep peace from within, so we must feel our own value in ourselves and then share it with the world, and we will succeed if we remind ourselves every day who we are, connecting with ourselves, returning to the essence and listening to our soul. There is a plenty of techniques for that today, just as much as you want! My favorites are: freestyle dancing with music that lifts me up, talking to my reflection in the mirror, singing, drawing or painting, writing, yoga, walking (preferably in nature)…

Henry Ford is one of the most successful people ever and he knew his value, here’s what he said about it: “I don’t care what others think of me, because I know my true value. And I became a billionaire because I am knowledgeable with money and I can distinguish true values ​​from false ones.”

We are worth as much as we are satisfied with ourselves and as much as we enjoy life. If you ever happen to kneel before life and you are not able to love yourself, look into the eyes of your loved ones and those who love you, listen to what they will tell you, they see in us all our beauty and goodness even when we are not at our best. Love will remind us in the most beautiful way as possible of who we are and how precious we are.

Ljubav Moja Mila / My Dear* Love

Čulo se jasno i snažno. Sa svakim otkucajem tvoga srca, moje je kucalo još jače. Da li sam te oduvek volela? Jedno znam sigurno, zaljubila sam se u tebe dok si još bila želja.

Tvoj prvi stisak ruke, prvi pogled koji govori milion reči i u kome se ogleda čitav Univerzum i sve zvezde nebeske sijaju punim sjajem kao da kažu – ja sam nešto posebno, jedinstveno, moja ljubav će promeniti sve. O da, promenila je, ni ne slutiš koliko! Mene najviše…

Ljubav sve menja. Ljubav je naš put do večnosti.

Obećavam ti, neću te nikada posedovati. Naša će ljubav biti slobodna, osvajati vrhove, ali znaj da ćeš u mome srcu uvek imati dom.

Molim te samo, sačuvaj u sebi komadić moje večnosti i taj osmeh beskrajni.

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You could hear it clearly and strong. With every beat of your heart, mine was beating even harder. Did I love you since forever? I know one thing for sure, I fell in love with you when you were only a wish.

The first grip of your hand, the first look that speaks a million words and in which the entire Universe mirrors itself, and all the stars in the sky shine in their full splendor saying – I am something special, unique, my love will change everything. Oh yeah, it did change, you can’t even imagine how much! Mostly me…

Love changes everything. Love is our road to eternity.

I promise you I will never own you. Our love will be free, conquer the peaks, but know that within my heart you will always have a home.

Please, I beg you though, keep the bit of my eternity inside you and that infinite smile.

*Word Dear translated in Serbian Mila is used both as an adjective and as a girl name

Čiji smo/Who do we belong to

Držim na rukama to milo telašce, taj život što zavisi od mene, ali mi ne pripada. Prisećam se sve češće svog odnosa sa roditeljima i koliko sam im se malo poveravala, kako sam, čini mi se, u mnogim stvarima bila sama i boli me sama pomisao da neću deliti život mojih ćerki u svakom njihovom udahu i koraku… I znam da su moje samo u ljubavi koju delimo, a njihovi životi su samo njihovi, pozajmljeni od večnosti.

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I hold in my arms that sweet little body, that life that depends on me, but does not belong to me. I recollect more often the relationship I had with my parents and how little did I confide to them, it seams to me that I was alone in so many instances and just the thought that I will not share the life of my daughters in every breath they take and every step of their way hurts me… And I know that they are mine only in love that we share, and their lives are just theirs, derived from eternity.

I kada nije potrebna, majka je uvek poželjna…/ Even when not needed, a mother is always welcomed…

Kada prvi put zakoračiš u novi život, probijajući se prvim bojažljivim udahom u naručje majke, objavljujući na sva zvona, snažnim plačem – ja sam tu, pokaži mi, nauči me, vodi me, voli me!

To je trenutak u kome se rodi nešto što je teško opisati, teško je i shvatiti, ali je lako prihvatiti. Vanvremenska, neraskidiva veza dve duše, dva života; rađa se čovek, nastaje majka i ceo svet se menja.

Majka sam sada već dve devojčice. Prvi put kada sam tu misao konstatovala, nasmejala sam se u sebi poput neke šiparice, hihihi, ja majka, majka dvoje dece, to zvuči tako ozbiljno! Pogledam se u ogledalo i vidim sebe, ali to više nisam samo ja, sada sam i žena i majka i rastem ispunjena tom mišlju kao što rastu i ove grudi majčinske, svakim danom sve više.

Kada sam prvi put postala majka plakale smo i beba i ja, ja često i više nego ona, a sada, kao iskusna majka, plačem više u sebi, pa se brzo trgnem i prisetim da nemam kad da plačem, da je to samo trenutak nerazumevanja koje će proći.

I tako mnoge stvari ostaju za kasnije, ostavljajući više mesta za ljubav, nežnost, razumevanje i igru.

Hvala ti Bože na majkama (hvala i tebi mama što si baš moja mama), a hvala ti i na deci (ne znam šta bih bez njih, ustvari znam, ali sa njima život dobija još jednu dimenziju sa kojom ništa ne može da se poredi).

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When you make that very first step into a new life, breaking through into the mother’s embrace with your first trembling breath, proclaiming to the world with that powerful cry of yours – here I am, show me, teach me, lead me, love me!

In that moment, something hard to explain, hard even to conceive, yet easy to accept, is born. A timeless, unbreakable bond of two souls, two lives; a human being is born, one becomes mother and the whole world changes.

Now I am already a mother of two little girls. The first time I had acknowledged that thought, I laughed to myself like a silly girl, me a mother, hihihi, a mother of two sounds so serious! I look at the mirror and I see me, only that’s not just me now, now I am a women as well as a mother and I rise filled with that thought like these motherly breasts of mine, more and more with each day.

When I had my firs baby, we both cried, me often more than her, and now as an experienced mother I cry on the inside, then quickly pull myself together and remember that I have no time to cry, that it is just a moment of misunderstanding that shall pass.

And so there it is, a lot of stuff is left for later, leaving more space for love, tenderness, understanding and fun.

Thank you God for mothers (thank you mom for being my mom), and thank you for the kids too (I don’t know what I would do without them, well, actually I do know, but with them a life gets a new dimension that’s beyond compare with everything else).

 

Tata

Koliko se snage i ljubavi krije iza reči tata?

Obično je majčinska ljubav ta o kojoj se govori kao simbolu univerzalne, bezuslovne ljubavi, ali za jednu devojčicu ljubav oca je sve, ceo njen svet se gradi na toj ljubavi.

Ja sam tatina ćerka; imam njegove oči, njegov stas, njegov hod… Povlačim se u sebe i ćutim kad me nešto tišti, baš kao i on. Volim iskreno i duboko i verujem u dobro u ljudima, i o poštenju i o doslednosti naučila sam od njega. On je bio heroj mog detinjstva, koji zna sve i može sve.

Naučio me je da pitam, da tražim odgovore. Sećam se svih naših šetnji kroz prirodu… Koji je ovo cvet, koje je ono drvo, gde žive životinje, koji su datumi i mesta značajni za istoriju, za naš narod… Probudio je u meni večitu žeđ za znanjem, ljubav prema životinjama i prirodi, potrebu za samostalnošću…

Pamtim sve njegove lekcije, a bilo je i onih malo grubljih, sirovijih, koje su ipak našle mesto u mom odrastanju.

Nema snažnije stvari od očevog zagrljaja i nema veće stvari od ljubavi jedne devojčice prema svom tati.