A simple weekend escape about 300 minutes

If I had gone to the doctor yesterday and he told me that I only had three hundred minutes left to live, chaos would immediately start in my mind. Images would change rapidly before my eyes, and countless thoughts would run through my head. I would remember all kinds of things—possible and impossible—good and bad people, beautiful and ugly moments from life. Total chaos in the mind.

Information would shift like the line you see on a screen when transferring files from a hard drive to a flash drive.

But one thing would never change.

I would spend the last minutes of my life peacefully with my family somewhere in nature, at a familiar place, together with a few close friends from childhood.

That kind of escape from everyday life actually happened yesterday.

After finishing all our household duties, we decided to use the afternoon in the best possible way—by spending time in nature. We got in the car and drove as a family to the Red Cross resort on Vršački Breg. The distance from our house to the resort is about 30 kilometers. One day, when the children grow a bit older, we plan to walk that entire distance together.

We parked near the restaurant at the resort. The kids immediately ran to the playground next to the outdoor sports courts for football and basketball.

After sliding down the slide a few times, Aleksandar decided to climb on a real World War II tank that stands there as a painted exhibit next to the playground.

Anja, being much younger than her brother, wanted to visit the mini zoo with her mom.

There they saw ponies, dwarf goats, and geese. After that, we walked to the sports field where Anja practiced her first steps in football.

The ball I brought on the trip had symbolic meaning—it came from our school, the same ball we used recently at the inter-district football competition in New Belgrade where our girls' school team won second place. I hope Anja will follow their path one day, because she is already very good for her age.

After a short rest on the benches and some refreshments—water and fruit—we decided to visit my old school friend who has a weekend house not far from the resort. They renovated it and turned the yard into a real playground for their four children.

The kids immediately started swinging, climbing the little house, sliding down the slide, and digging in the sand with their hands. Meanwhile, we adults enjoyed a delicious cake that Ljilja served us.

Time flew by quickly and sunset began to fall. We decided to return from the weekend house using a forest trail—the same trail used for the Vojvodina Trekking League competitions.

The path was winding with small climbs and descents. At one point we encountered a fallen tree across the trail. The children happily accepted it as a fun obstacle, while we adults had a bit more trouble squeezing through, with a few complaints about our backs.

Soon we came across a huge fir tree with a birdhouse attached to it. Inside was a robin singing loudly. Klara tried to imitate its sound, and the bird seemed to accept the challenge—it chirped even louder and hopped onto a nearby branch.

Spring has clearly arrived in our region.

Anja stopped to pick one of the many little flowers growing in the grass.

Near the end of the trail, just before reaching the resort again, we noticed a dog lying calmly in the middle of the path. We bravely walked around him and continued our way.

As we approached the main road, a man riding a quad bike greeted Aleksandar, which made him extremely happy. Shortly after that, a cyclist passed by—probably training for an upcoming race on the hill.

On the drive back I tried to take a few photos while moving, but with the noise the kids were making in the car, I realized it wasn’t the best idea.

I think we already spent those 300 minutes in nature long ago. Time flies relentlessly—especially when it passes like this.

One day the children will leave for university for at least 300 days a year. The house will become quiet, and we will probably wish we could return to moments like this.

My only wish is that in 300 years, somewhere above, my wife and I will be watching our descendants enjoying nature in the same way—spending their time wisely and happily.

Thank you for reading the blog.

I wish that you too spend at least 300 minutes in nature every day with the people you love.

Cheers!