Kdo / Who
Katarina Prelesnik je žena, mati, županja. Najverjetneje ima najširši nasmeh v občini, ki jo vodi že drugič zapored. Ni ga težko doživeti, saj jo nasmejijo že malenkosti. Je sproščena in nasmejana ter brez zadržkov odpre vrata svoje pisarne in pojasni, da se je za vstop v politiko odločila, ker ni želela ostati samo pri idejah in besedah. Leta 2014 je bila na župansko funkcijo izvoljena kot prva ženska. V županski vlogi se počuti dobro, še zlasti, ker je Solčavsko majhno, ker se vsi poznajo in delajo skupaj – za skupnost. Ravno zato je ena izmed pomembnejših nalog, ki se jih loteva, službeno združevanje trajnostnega turizma, naravovarstva in kmetijstva. Taka prizadevanja jo izpolnjujejo tudi na osebni ravni.
Nič kaj ne preseneča, da ima zelo rada sonce – ne le vroče poletno sonce, tudi tisto zimsko jo vedno spravi v dobro voljo. Zase pravi, da ima srečo, ker je ljubim stvarem vedno posvetila ravno prave trenutke, ki so se obrestovali. Eden izmed njih je tudi ta, ko se je po poroki iz Ljubnega ob Savinji preselila na Solčavsko. Pravi da imajo Solčavani neznansko srečo, saj jim okolje ponuja vse – uteho in izzive ob različnih priložnostih; če si želiš družbo, najdeš družbo, če si želiš miru, ga je na pretek. Sprehod, kolesarjenje, terenski obiski z avtom – možnosti so številne. Varovanje in ohranjanje okolja zato postavlja v ospredje na vsakem koraku.
Katarina Prelesnik je županja, ki si pravzaprav ne želi nadnaravnih moči ali čarobne palčke, ki bi stvari spravila v red. Želi si to, kar si po tihem najverjetneje vsi – da bi se v trenutkih, ki od nje terjajo veliko truda in časa, znala umiriti. Na akcijska, nepričakovana vprašanja le redko kdo odgovarja iskreno kot ona.
Katarina Prelesnik is a mother, a wife and a mayor. She has probably the widest smile far around – or at least in the municipality she runs. It’s the little things that make her laugh, so it’s not difficult to elicit a smile from her. She is very relaxed and unreservedly opens the door to her office and explains how she entered the politic because she wanted to start acting instead of just talking. In 2014 she was elected as a first female mayor of Municipality Solčava. She likes her mayoral role, especially because Solčava is a small municipality and everyone knows each other and they work together for the good of the community. This is also why one of her most important missions is to combine sustainable tourism, conservation of nature and agriculture.
It is not at all surprising that she likes the sun – not only hot summer sun, warm winter sun puts her in a good mood as well. She says she is lucky, because she dedicated her time to the things she loves, and it turned out the timing was perfect. One of those good moments was when she married and moved to Solčava. She says people of Solčava are lucky because they can have it all: when they need company they can find someone to hang out, when they need some alone time there is plenty of space. They can go for a walk, cycle, drive around – everything! Protection and preservation of the environment is therefore at the forefront of her every step.
Katarina Prelesnik is a mayor who does not want any supernatural powers or a magic wand to put everything in order. She wishes for the same thing as probably most of us do – to have the ability to calm down when there is only little time and a lot of work. And she seems to be successful at achieving that – not many people answer unexpected questions as honestly as she does.
Intervju / Interview
Kaj je prva stvar, ki jo naredite, ko se zjutraj zbudite?
Zjutraj ko se zbudim, imam deset minut miru, za sebe.
Se lahko opišete v treh besedah?
Delovna, družabna, zagnana, trmasta. Trmasta, zagnana – bom obrnila (smeh).
Če bi si lahko izbrali nadnaravno moč, katera bi to bila?
Znati se umiriti. Ne da imaš čarobno palčko in rečeš »Vse naj bo v redu«, ampak da znaš poiskati tisti notranji mir v vsakem trenutku. To mi uspeva enkrat na teden – ob nedeljah je moj dan – ampak premalo. Čez teden že kdaj pregorim. Tako da želela bi si nadnaravne moči umiritve.
Kaj pa vas nasmeji in spravi v dobro voljo?
(smeh) Ne rabim veliko. Se mi zdi, da najdem v vsaki malenkosti optimizem. V vsakem človeku iščem nekaj pozitivnega, čemur se lahko nasmejim. Nimam česa posebnega. Poskušam v vsaki priložnosti najti tisti nasmeh, saj se mi zdi, da to tudi meni veliko pomeni.
Kateri spomin iz otroštva vam najprej pride na pamet?
Sama prihajam iz Ljubnega, poročena sem v Solčavi. Primer iz otroštva, mogoče takrat, ko sem se odločala za srednjo šolo in sem se odločala, da bom sledila svojim ciljem. V mojem primeru je bila to odločitev za računalniško šolo. Glede na obdobja, v katerih sem živela, se mi zdi, da sem vedno našla prave trenutke, ki sem jih znala obrniti v svoj prid.
Kateri letni čas najboljše opiše vaš karakter? Zakaj?
A mi lahko to vi poveste (glasen smeh)? Če se trudim biti sončna in marsikdaj mi kdo reče, da je sonce potem je to poletje. Rada imam vročino, rada imam sonce – čeprav me opozarjajo, da se mu moram izogibati, da to škodi. Se potrudim, da si grem prej barvo nabrat v solarij, da ni na soncu težav. Ja, mogoče poletje in sonce. Čeprav je sonce močno tudi pozimi.
What’s the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?
When I wake up in the morning, I first take ten minutes for myself to enjoy the quiet and peaceful time.
Can you describe yourself in three words?
Hardworking, sociable, enthusiastic, stubborn. No, I would turn it around: stubborn, enthusiastic (laughter).
If you could choose to have a superpower, what would it be?
To know how to calm down. Not to have a magic wand and just say “Everything should be in order”, but to know how to find my inner peace. I manage to do this once a week – on Sunday when it’s my day – but that’s not enough because sometimes I burn out during the week. I would wish for the supernatural power of calming down.
What makes you laugh and puts you in a good mood?
(laughter) I don’t need that much. I can find something optimistic everywhere. I search for something positive in every person, something that makes me laugh. There is no special thing. I try to find and give a kind smile at every occasion and I feel this means much to me as well.
Which memory from childhood comes to your mind first?
Originally I come from Ljubno, I only moved here when I married. From my youth, I probably most remember deciding on which high school to choose; and I decided to follow my goals. I decided to choose a school for computer science. Depending on the periods in which I lived I feel that I have always had a good timing.
What time of the year best describes your character?
Can you tell me this (laughter)?! If I try to be sunny and many time people tell me it is like the sun, then my favourite is summer. I love the heat, I like the sun – even if they tell me that I should be careful because it can be harmful. But I go get some tan in solarium before to avoid problem. Yes, probably summer and sun. But the sun is also strong in the winter.
