“When you are enthusiastic about what you do; you feel this positive energy. It's very simple,” and I whole heartedly agree with Paulo Coelho.
There is a saying in English “can’t see the wood for the trees,” that probably sums up most of us living in Dubrovnik. It basically means getting so involved in the details of something that you can’t see the whole picture. We’re just too close, and more importantly too accustomed to something, that are judgement is clouded.
It often takes seeing something through someone else’s eyes to get the real picture.
It has been an extremely busy post-season in the Thomas household, as indeed it has been for the south of Croatia. Our “revolving” front door has been spinning off its hinges.
We have just waved goodbye to my sister and niece. Although my niece is a regular visitor (soon she’ll be getting her citizenship if she carries on like this) my sister hasn’t been for quite a few years.
A certain global pandemic killed a few of her travel plans. So it was really nice to see her back in the Dubrovnik sunshine again. And of course we took the opportunity to explore together.
“What an incredible view, how lucky you are to drive past every day,” she exclaimed as we drove from Župa to Dubrovnik. Yes, I drive it every day but the look on her face as she saw it again after so many years was priceless.
It got me thinking that we really need to appreciate what we have. We are far too often blind to the beauty that surrounds us.
I guess it is the same for anyone who lives in or around a spectacular place. Do people of Rome notice the Colosseum, or citizens of Athens the Acropolis, or Parisians the Eiffel Tower? Living with a “super model” just becomes normal.
Is it normal? Of course not!
As we drove over Peljesac the endless stunning vistas, the harmony of the greens and blues, she was pleasantly surprised by the massive scale of the sea and the soaring mountains. The quaintness of Cavtat, the beaches and calm of Slano and the ruggedness of the interior. More and more often as we passed through a picturesque spot she would say “Oh, I could live here.”
Are we seeing what she was seeing?
She was starting to notice more things that I had completely forgotten about. And she also certainly noticed how the general tourist offer has improved. Whilst we may see what feels like a snail’s pace of development a few years of absence had shown my sister a completely different story. Are we too quick to complain? And I include myself in that category.
Last week made me think you need to wake up and smell the coffee. To have more of a glass half full attitude. “I can’t believe its late October and we are swimming,” she once said as we dipped in the Adriatic.
Another thing we take for granted – the weather.
I am not saying it was all honey and sunshine. Yes, she noticed the negative points as well, such as the sharp increase in prices. Supermarket prices were the same, or in some cases more expensive, than she is used to in the UK. Although the price of coffee wasn’t shocking. But overall the pluses far outweighed the minuses.
I just think we could accomplish so much more with a positive mind-set, instead of going two steps forward and one back the whole time. Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you'll start having positive results.
Or as the Dalai Lama once said “In order to have a positive action we must first develop a positive vision.”
The season is drawing to a close, the year is drawing to a close, let’s look back and concentrate on the good and not the bad.
Read more Englishman in Dubrovnik…well, if you really want to
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About the author
Mark Thomas (aka Englez u Dubrovniku) is the editor of The Dubrovnik Times. He was born and educated in the UK and moved to live in Dubrovnik in 1998. He works across a whole range of media, from a daily radio show to TV and in print. Thomas is fluent in Croatian and this column is available in Croatia on the website – Dubrovnik Vjesnik
