THE TWO LADIES INFLUENCERS PAR EXELLENCE

I will share a personal secret with you here: Now, look at this. My two grandmothers. THEY ARE INFLUENCERS PAR EXCELLENCE! - During my childhood and early adult life I had the great luck to have my both grandmothers with me, around me, for me.

Grandma No.1: Milica. The year 1938. or 1939. that woman was then 18 or 19 years old. He walks to and from work twice a week. WALKING TO WORK AND FROM WORK TWICE A WEEK CROSSING 30 KILOMETERS IN ONE DIRECTION to get to Kasar (workers' settlement) and live there during the week and work in shifts one week in the morning, then another in the afternoon, then a third at night. Every weekend she went home to get food, clean clothes, etc., and then back to work again - on foot for 30 km. And when she was speaking to me about that, she NEVER SAID IT WAS HARD FOR HER - no walking, no work, never.

One of these days I caught myself running maybe 5 km or so feeling good about it, but then I remembered my grandmother and her 30 km so I ran 15 km, but in a couple of days I will run in honor of my grandmother and those 30 without any problems because if my grandmother who did not exercise could walk 30 km with a sack on her back - I can run/walk this too. (mind that I'm 50 right now).

I used to dig the ground with her (grandma Milica) in our huge garden — pick or dig potatoes or just prepare the soil. Yes, my grandmother was a woman who worked in the gardens and on the ground and drove garden wheels and worked in her gardens with great pleasure always smiling. And so we dig one day - and my grandmother goes, goes, goes, digs and goes in front of me, pas over me. I young and strong start to dig like crazy, I dig faster and faster just to pass her but it doesn't work. I get tired, my hands hurt, my legs hurt, my back hurts, I don't want to dig anymore - aaaaaa- getting frustrated about it. I stopped and I look at my grandmother - she works like a machine - she just continues and goes, goes, goes. She finishes the one line, then in the second he shouts to me - come on Gordo, come on slowly, and you will go first. Hahahahaha.

And I've never reached the level of her fatigue-free technique while working effectively. Maybe I did today - but not in my youth - but it's not important. But this is very important: That woman did miracles, all her life. Look here- the young soldiers, when they succeed in walking 30 kilometers, this is considered as a great achievement, so everyone brags about it - AND FOR MY GRANDMOTHER THIS KIND OF WALK WAS just NOTHING. And she could work in the fields and in the gardens and around the house all day long - LITERALLY FROM MORNING TO DARK without ever telling you that it was hard, that she is tired, that she can't, that she was under stress (a woman who survived World War II and the Homeland War in Croatia and her husband's death and a hundred of life hardships - SHE NEVER SAID - IT'S HARD, I CAN'T DO IT, I'M STRESSED, I being TIRED. And she was just a nice tiny lady. She liked life, work, honesty, travel, and action, she never told any negative word about anything or anyone - never and really never. In WW II her father's village was annihilated from earth's existence - all killed who were found in that village - she did never in my presence speak any bad word about the nazis who killed her people - not one word. How about that for the influencer side of the goodness of heart, how about that.

So my GRANDMA'S TIRELESSNESS motivates me to work miracles with myself, and maybe some of you will get motivated too. Today lots of times we speak - IT'S HARD, I CANT but for my grandmother an untrained woman in her time all that ours - it is hard, oo I can't... WERE JUST A CHILD'S PLAY. And now can you imagine what Real Men were like in those days - our grandparents and their fathers, of course, those who weren't alcoholics and who were healthy? Most likely they were like my great-grandfather who first takes good a sip of moonshine for a warm-up and then swims across river Mrežnica - around 100 m swim - (one of the most beautiful rivers in Croatia) in the middle of winter and does not catch a cold, but goes to the factory to work and work at home all day, and also after surviving combats of WW I and WWII. But about him some other time.

I'm trying to follow her teachings, but it is very, very hard. I am a man, a warrior and I did my share of waging wars, but always with the one great teaching of my grandma Milica behind every action I did: "Gordo, you are not the one who put them here on this earth, so you can not kill them." Thanks to her many, many of "them" did get another chance in life. She was so an awesome woman. That is a real influencer. And she never needs to show her bobs to be an influencer. She was the legend of her city, and many other places around to many people all her life, Once I put a memory of her on Facebook - and in the next 20 minutes I get 142 comments on her goodness --and that's 13 years after she passed away. How about that.

Grandma No. 2:- Grandma Katarina. Look at this: She walks with me in her seventies - THE SEVENTY YEARS OLD - One day, the year 1980. we went to the forest and pick mushrooms all morning - we walk 20 km through the woods and come home. And I go to play but she continues to clean all the mushrooms, store them, make lunch, serve lunch, wash all dishes for everyone and clean the kitchen, then go to the garden to take care of her roses, then a little around fruits, vegetables, and in the evening just sit down at 7.30 pm - watch the daily news - of course, it wasn’t like that every day but there were days like that many times. AND ALSO SHE NEVER SAID - IT'S HARD FOR ME - I CAN'T DO IT - I'M UNDER STRESS, IT'S NOT EASY FOR ME, I'M TIRED, This lady lived still in the era of THE CROATIA HOMELAND WAR THE SAME AS THAT FIRST GRANDMA - AND BOTH OF THEM - NEVER SAID I'M AFRAID OR SCARED. 

During WW II she lost her daughter and went through the whole war and later and unfortunately passed away during the Homeland War. And during this war, she had her son and two grandsons in the army fighting in the war (imagine that fear for her family inside of her) and she spent her whole life in a big struggle for her family. And grandma Kata never said that she is tired, that she can not do it, that she is under stress, or ooo poor me. How about that. Isn't this influencer for a lifetime. One time Kata cooks jam and mixes - you have to mix it for a long, long time. She mixes without stopping and without fatigue, preparing before and after all that is needed for this operation with a smile, just like that is something very easy, never tired. When I try - I can't mix for 10 minutes without feeling pain in my hands and shoulders - not even today.

She was also an influencer to many around her, lots of people come by to her to seek her advice. And she was also not a half-naked influencer - how about that. Also from her, I never heard bad words about anything, not even bad words against pests in her garden - never. Only pure love and understanding, compassion, joy, and life energy from her to others. I remember well, some people from other countries came one day to our house asking to see her, to thank her and they were all happy and positive - because she helped them sometime in the past to have a good life - just with her kindness, example and love. How about that. Can you do this today, can we do this today? She always told me like this: "Gordo you are all the sun that shines for this world and I believe in you." And how to disappoint her teachings of the goodness of heart.

So when I exercise, work, cooperate with others, communicate, and whatever I do - I just remember my grandmothers and nothing is difficult for me.

So when I look at their exploits today: - They worked miracles that today, looking through training, work or life eyes are very hard to accomplish, both at the mental and physical levels. But if they could, so can I, and so can You too. And so I'm chasing records from my grandmothers and I haven't reached them yet. For example - they always had enough money to live by, pay all their bills, and give some to me and my brother, and my mother for family needs - out of very small pensions. How about that. Never penniless. But they didn't get everything they have by credit, loans, and credit cards without coverage. Live with what you have - never borrow money from anywhere, save, but live life, be happy - their exact words about money. And plan your expenses for ..in detail. But those two ladies had finished only 4 grades of primary school. How about that. To me, that’s supreme motivation. Maybe it will be for some of you.

Both of them surpass horror hardships during their lives and yet there they are - always smiling with warm words of encouragement and love. And why is it so hard for us to do the same? These two lady's lived for their families to their last breath and they live in us forever. It is actually very easy - love, forgiveness, compassion, giving, thankfulness, and understanding. My grandmothers were the pure embodiment of the core of these meanings and words. And for them it was a very natural thing - that is the secret of their influencer success.

So Milica and Katarina my Grandmothers - the influencers Par excellence.

From My Heart to Yours.

Gogi