9 Comments
Feb 6Liked by Vanja Vukelic

Vanja, how I truly love reading your words. The rawness and truth! An artist-mother myself I have struggled to truly rest into that space. And sharing my art feels worrying when people are suffering. But do we not shine light when we share what comes from our soul? A beckon for others. Much love, Fiona 🌹

Expand full comment
author

Absolutely Fiona, navigating it all can be so complex, especially if we're doing it all alone. Community is how we can make sense of things and keep moving with purpose. Thanks for being here and reading ❤️‍🔥

Expand full comment

"Setting goals in the middle of winter goes against nature's rhythm." A lot here resonates but especially this.

Expand full comment
author

Love that. Sometimes, we just need to read that one sentence to affirm what our bodies already know.

Expand full comment

Oh Vanja, it's crazy how much I'm finding myself in *everything* you write. I can identify with every point you made here, but let me just share something about #2 because it made me sit here with my tea and sob.

I grew up not far from you - I was born in Croatia. So close, yet so far in many aspects! I never had such profound connection with my Muslim neighbours, there weren't many and they were regularly othered. The way you describe your shared space is the very definition of love. Since October, I'm finding myself in awe of the Palestinian's faith and steadfastness, and I'm grieving that I didn't grow up with such deep commitment to surrender to Life. I keep thinking of the horrendous post 9/11 hysteria that seeped throughout Europe in my childhood, even in a small, insignificant country at the crossroads of the West and the East like Croatia. I grieve and I'm angry, but it's a productive sort of rage that pushes to build a new world. Palestine made me a different person as a human, woman, mother, artist.

Thank you for your lovely words!

Expand full comment
author

Thank you for sharing Ramona. Palestine is changing us all and I'm so glad to know there are folks like yourself out there who refuse to give in to the separation and instead lead with their full hearts. Veliki zagrljaj 🌹

Expand full comment

You know how they say "Palestine is freeing us all"? It's completely true. When the lens of colonialism falls off your eyes, it's something that's never coming back. Once you see, you can't unsee. You can only go forward with deep appreciation for all life and our interconnected liberation, and that appreciation includes Islam as well. Btw, I'm @hare_and_fern from IG! I ja tebi saljem zagrljaj, hvala ti ❤️

Expand full comment
Feb 6Liked by Vanja Vukelic

🫶🏽

Expand full comment
author

😘🦉

Expand full comment