On a late, mild Sunday afternoon, as Simon and I were exploring a climbing spot in the Vulkaneifel, I met Bea. She seemed interesting and sympathetic and as I climbed up the columnar basalt, I decided to take the leap and approach her. She agreed to talk with me and I was left feeling happy and impressed with the honest conversation we shared.
HAPPINESS
What makes me happy... A day like today! Being outside, having a day off and just doing what I love to do. In this case: Climbing. Great weather, being with friends and not feeling stressed... Being physically active... simply moving. This is already a perfect day for me.
HOME
Good question...I'd say, in my experience, home is not necessarily one fixed place, but rather a feeling. I can let myself go and just relax (no matter where I am) , as if I were at home, when I am with people I feel comfortable with; People I can trust and have fun with. This applies to particular people in my life, although it can happen with people I have just met.
LIFE
That's a ...hard question. There was the death of my father. Thereupon I travelled, alone, to Norway to visit a friend of mine. And finally, my Boyfriend. We met while climbing and have only known each other for two years, but he has really helped me to stay true to myself and strengthen who I am. ...When I think about it, these are probably the three incidents which have shaped who I am today.
Michael's question: How can one, faster and at an earlier stage in life, find out what is really important?
Umm...that's another difficult question...I don't believe that these processes or realisations can be 'sped-up', and if one tries to find a shortcut, the result will certainly not hold much meaning. There might be an event which results in a realisation or degree of insight, for example talks or an unexpected incident, but I don't think there is a concrete way to find out what is truly important in life. I don't think there is a standard recipe which says : "Do this and then you will know". It has to happen naturally. I believe that we will all encounter decisive moments in our lives, which will show us the way.
What I've learned, is that life can be over very quickly. For this reason, I think we must learn not to do things which make us uncomfortable or which we don't consider to be important. On the contrary, we should follow exactly that which is important to us! I think that these things are dependent on situation and age though. I believe that, if you can acknowledge and accept what doesn't feel right, and honour that feeling, it might be a start. For example: If I have already accepted an invitation to a party, which I don't feel like attending, I try to be honest and say: This is not what I want to be doing right now.
Bea's question: What is your passion and how did you find it?
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