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“Your beliefs become your thoughts,
Your thoughts become your words,
Your words become your actions,
Your actions become your habits,
Your habits become your values,
Your values become your destiny.”
― Gandhi

This quote has more and deeper layers of meaning than really can apply to this blog post, although in part it fits the discussion really well, so I decided to stick with it regardless.

It made me re-read and think it over many times, and I still have a feeling there is more to learn from it than what I’ve made of it so far.

Coming across something like this really opens your eyes and mind, giving hope that there is more to life than just the draining day to day experiences and routine.

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How many times have you seen someone who has been living in the country they immigrated to for many years, do something that is clearly not usual to see other people do in Canada or even North America in general.

A few examples I’ve seen or heard about over the years that aren’t normally talked about or realized as they aren’t the most visible:

1 – Exiting and entering a house only through the front door and never through the garage, even if parking the car in the garage.

A trip to most of Europe quickly shows why; garages were and still are rarely ever made to be accessible from the house, due to multi-family houses being most common. Nobody wants to have to go through the in-law’s section of the house every time they returned home, most likely…

Related to this, it’s considered bad luck to enter through any door other than the front door.

2 – Peeling vegetables and fruits that people in western countries wouldn’t bother to peel.

To be honest, I still find this odd myself, although it’s one of the few things that should be taken more seriously by everybody.

Radioactive residue on fruits and vegetables, which is a serious contender for where this habit started from, is relatively pleasant to deal with in comparison to all the things that ends up sprayed on produce these days; this is one habit I can get behind without hesitation.

3 – Saying “Cheers!” in their language, instead of the usual “Bless You!”.

Considering how much a part of Balkan culture Rakia is, even though your soul is trying to “escape” when you sneeze, apparently it’ll never want to if it knows there’s another round of Rakia coming up.

That’s a deep hole to go down, researching what people mean when they say “bless you” after you sneeze; nonetheless, it’s interesting to know what’s the cause behind it, considering it’s used so often although few people know what the origin of that saying is.

4 – Keeping hot peppers in your car for use as an instant wake-me-up.

The hotter the pepper, the better the reaction…

There’s no Tim Hortons every kilometer like in Canada, as it quickly becomes clear after the first trip overseas. Desperate measures for desperate times would be an accurate description for this one.

Why do I feel this will end up trending on TikTok at some point? Still better than the majority of “challenges” going around these days, though.

5 – Having a box of chocolate or candies and a bottle of Rakia on the kitchen table.

You never know who will stop by, have to be prepared for visitors of all ages!

Many people can relate to this I’m sure, even if their family background isn’t from the Balkans; Everybody socialized like their life depended on it. Nobody shied away from stopping by at least 5 different households on the way to and from work each day.

One thing I’ve always wondered is how these items are always full regardless of how many people visit. A serious contender for the greatest unsolved mysteries of the world, I tell you!

I’m certain there are habits that people from any region of the world have that are specific to them, and many have practical origins. Habits are also a good thing, giving you a sense of routine, as well as being an essential part of mental health. Being unable to establish a habit, something that allows you to be yourself, will lead to additional stress.

All to often, it’s been said that humans are beings of habit…

I’d be interested to hear what interesting, out of the ordinary habits any of you have come across or do yourself, in the comments!