In January 2014 I attended a university lecture about magazine journalism. In the course of this seminar two fellow students and I interviewed random people in Passau. We had only one question: “What makes you happy?” And we got answers.
People started to tell stories. We heard about a Tiffany necklace, sold for 25.000 Euros. We heard about recent trips to Asia and Latin America. A baby boy mumbled his name, his nana standing right next to him told us, that he just started talking a few days ago. She wore the biggest smile, a proud grandmother could wear. We met cute dogs called Whiskey and Lola. But most of all: we found love.
There was a couple you couldn’t imagine to be more opposite: She came from Miami, Florida, and looked like the typical American fashion girl. Well dressed, she obviously has a great taste in colors and couture. He, on the other hand, lives in St. Petersburg, Russia and gives the impression of living in quite close touch with mother nature. In Germany one would most probably call him “öko”, which means he’s a green-minded person. They met during a holiday trip a year ago and fell for each other. That January they decided to “meet in the middle” (Frankfurt airport) and chose “the most secluded place in Bavaria” to spend time together. So they ended up in Passau. You can tell by the smile on their faces that they were beyond happy. And the three of us got infected by their joy, just from listening to their story.
Another guy impressed us with his passion. We met him at the riverbank (see above, that’s him!) and at the first glance we weren’t sure, if he would actually like to talk to us. He seemed to be quite introverted, almost sad in a way. But within 20 minutes he told us almost everything you need to know about waves and swirls and the importance of being alone sometimes. He is a canoeist and spends “most of the time on the water”. Whenever he feels stressed, he enters his boat and starts paddling against the current. “Canoeing is something you can only do by yourself. It’s just you against the water”, he reasons. He only paddles until he’s exhausted. Then he turns around and drifts “back home”, as he says. “When I’m drifting, I watch all the busy people by the riverside and all of a sudden I feel completely relaxed. That’s what makes me happy the most. The water!” he concludes. And then, at that very moment he finished his speech, he smiled.
Only meters from him, we encountered two Romanian guys looking for a flat. Their whole families came to Germany to seek work. “At the moment, eight people are living in our tiny appartment. It’s a bit crowded, you know”, one of them explained. We were facing him with astonishment. As a student one’s used to living with several people in one flat, but usually there’s enough space for everyone to feel comfortable. “When I found a job, I want to start a family with my wife. I love her and she makes me the happiest person on earth”, he tells us – at the age of 21. Fingers crossed, that this wish will eventually come true.
When we were on our way back home, we amost crashed into a guy with a broken leg. We took our chance and asked our question for the last time. “My friends make me happy. I have the best friends, they’re my family. I would be nothing without the people around me”, he said resolutely. And in this statement, he summarized everything we learned about life that very day. Of course, one could say something cheesy like “It ain’t important how much savings you have on your bank account, when you’re still lonely”. But that’s not the point.
Happiness is everywhere. Everyone we asked that day was able to tell at least one thing that makes him or her happy. Besides, if you dare to go out and ask, you will get answers. And that made us happy.
hi, my name is Julie. 