90-year-old woman in Lopash still tends her garden: "As long as I can, I will work"
Ninety-year-old Radosija from Lopash rises early each day to work her vegetable plot and keep her yard despite living alone.
At 90 years old, Radosija Petrović from the village of Lopash near Trstenik still dresses in work clothes every morning and goes out to tend her garden.
Living alone, she does not ask anyone for help: she hoes the beds, grows vegetables and keeps the yard in order. Her day begins early and only ends when she has completed the tasks she set for herself.
Daily routine and what she grows
In Radosija’s plot there are tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, onions and other seasonal vegetables — staples she says she cannot imagine life without. Neighbors note that few can match her industriousness.
Radosija explains her drive in simple terms: "I cannot sit idle. I have been used to this my whole life. I work slowly, no one rushes me. As long as I can, I will work and I will fight." She adds that work has been what kept her going: "Work has kept me going. When a person stops moving, then old age comes sooner."
Despite her years, she remains cheerful and energetic and does not complain about life. Her story has spread across Serbia and the region, where many have called her a symbol of perseverance and the hardworking rural lifestyle. She says age is no excuse — as long as she has strength, she will continue to cultivate her garden and tend her yard alone.
Photo: press material from the event
