Drogi, drogie, droga —the expensive, precious road
I arrived in Poland equipped with the familiarity of conversational Polish (and some home-spun words learned when I was in trouble as a child). I learned the word for “expensive” (drogi) so I could shop like a local, the word for “pretty” (ładny) to compliment, the word for “street” (ulica) to ask for directions.
While conversational Polish helped tremendously, after a couple of days with relatives I wanted to say something other than “pretty” to compliment my cousins. I was sounding like a broken record. Have you ever been around someone that used the same word over and over like “awesome” or “cool”? I didn’t want to be that person. I also didn’t want it to sound insincere or boring by using the same word over and over. Besides, I was there to learn!
So one day I asked my Über-talented, bi-lingual “niece” (cousin’s daughter) to please tell me the word for “precious”. She came back with same word for expensive, “drogi”. So I called her on it. “Yes, yes…it’s the same word.” At the time I simply slapped the palm of my hand into my forehead and let out a groan to match my confusion. Okay, no problem. I’ll remember that.
Fast forward a day or two and we were walking down the quaint road they all lived on. So I asked what the word for “road” was. She tells me the same word as used for expensive and precious! Again with a little more disdain I asked if that was the same word for expensive and precious—“yes, yes it is true!” No one ever said the Polish language was easy.
The multiple meanings for the same word gave me reason to ponder. I immediately knew I’d be writing about it. It didn’t take long to uncover the genius inherent in this magical, multi-tasking word.
Your path in life is precious. The roads you choose to travel are your personal choices. The currency of your life is expensive, reflected in the minutes which add up to hours, which add up to days and years. Pick your day’s spending wisely. Their gifts are precious moments well worth the expense.
“Your life is a sacred journey. And it is about change, growth, discovery, movement, transformation, continuously expanding your vision of what is possible, stretching your soul, learning to see clearly and deeply, listening to your intuition, taking courageous risks, embracing challenges at every step along the way… You are on the path exactly where you are meant to be right now… And from here, you can only go forward, shaping your life story into a magnificent tale of triumph, of healing, of courage, beauty, wisdom, power, dignity & love.” ~ Caroline Joy Adams. (This beautiful poster has been on my wall for years.) http://www.carolinejoyadams.com/prints.html
This post was originally published August 2013 on a page I was contributing to that has since been discontinued. I am slowly reposting some of my favorite ones. The ones from my trips to Poland are among them. <3
