Years of Diligence & Sacrifice

To Die as a Free Being

My brother had to buy the last carp, which I immediately named Peppa. I knew that in our family, we could not eat animals with names.

Dec 27 • Zuzana Zejdova

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Preparing for Christmas

There is no Santa or Father Christmas in Czech tradition; presents under the Christmas tree are brought by Jesus himself.

Dec 13 • Zuzana Zejdova

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Spring Paintings

“The ‘Aunties’ at school aren’t ‘Aunties’ anymore. They’re ‘Comrade Teacher’ now,” I announced proudly one early spring day.

Dec 2 • Zuzana Zejdova

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November 2025

Late Chocolate

“Have you ever noticed that dads are usually not picking us up from school?” I asked my friend Caroline, who was sitting on the school playground…

Nov 16 • Zuzana Zejdova

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A Memory Sparked by a Single Post

In Remembrance

Published on The Positive Pen © • Nov 7

October 2025

School in Nature

My brother returned with luggage full of untouched clean clothes. Nobody had told him that he had other clothes with him and where they were; he hadn’t…

Oct 31 • Zuzana Zejdova

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Love Sucks

“Aunties” were in an unlucky position; they were the first representatives of the regime that every child met. A child, who was born and was supposed to…

Oct 24 • Zuzana Zejdova

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Saint Nicholas

At the beginning of December you could meet drunk saints and devils holding one another's shoulders to keep balance being watched by embarrassed angels.

Oct 18 • Zuzana Zejdova

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Sunflower Field

I woke up and felt a familiar pain in my chest, and a thousand little bells rang in my ears. I could hardly breathe. I knew what it meant.

Oct 11 • Zuzana Zejdova

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Revolutionary

In October, the streets were flooded with grumpy old-man faces and we started drawing warships—literally the cruiser Aurora. The reason was clear: an…

Oct 4 • Zuzana Zejdova

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September 2025

Afternoon Rest

An afternoon rest. Arrest, more like. That was another reason I hated nursery school.

Sep 27 • Zuzana Zejdova

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Teddy Bear

Some friends are ultimate, coming into our lives so early we can’t even remember when. My teddy bear was that kind of friend.

Sep 20 • Zuzana Zejdova

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