3/30/2023
I will arrive in Munich at 8 am. The bus ride from Cologne was quiet and the bus was relatively empty. Despite wearing a sleeping mask, I found it difficult to fall asleep. I need to get used to this style of traveling again. Tim lives in Erding with his wife and daughter. His daughter is only six months old and a real sweetheart! Tim and I went to school together, which was already 12 years ago. It’s amazing how much has changed in that time.
I go to the S-Bahn station right next to the central bus station (ZOB) and I am amazed. The S-Bahn from Munich to Erding takes almost an hour. Well, I can manage that. Tim sends me the address of his old apartment. He has moved into a new apartment and needs to clear out this one within the next few days. Erding is a quiet place and known for its wheat beer and thermal baths. I will try the wheat beer today and maybe visit the thermal bath next time. It’s only a 5-minute walk from Erding train station to the destination. The weather is cloudy and cold, but it hasn’t rained yet. I ring the doorbell of a small apartment building and Tim lets me in. The apartment is on the ground floor and Tim greets me at the doorway of his apartment. The hug was more difficult than usual - me with the backpacks and him with his daughter Mia in his arms. Mia is not intimidated by my unusually broad stature and greets me by taking my little finger with her whole hand. Only Tim seems a bit tired, but that’s quite normal for young parents.
He lays Mia on a mat in the middle of the former living room. It is a beautiful two-bedroom apartment with a garden, now almost empty, waiting for the next tenant. I briefly play with the little one. Then we gather some toolboxes and drive together to the new apartment to have breakfast.
During breakfast, we plan our day. It’s open Sunday in Erding and there is a street food festival in the city center. The plan is set, but I still have to decide how the next few days should look. Tomorrow, public transportation will be on strike nationwide. If I’m not careful, I might get stuck in Munich and… I want to continue to Vienna! I look at my phone and see a message from my Ukrainian friend Oksana, who saw on social media that I am in Munich: “If you want, you can stay with us for two nights. I would be happy to see you!” I briefly speak with Tim and he offers to drive me to Oksana’s in the evening. Awesome!
So we set off to the city center for the Streetfood Festival with Mia. It’s drizzling occasionally, but the weather is holding up. Tim shows me interesting places in the city, like a bell tower that stands next to the church instead of on it. He tells me about the legendary triathlon championships with world stars in the downtown area. We treat ourselves to filled pretzel bread (or something similar) and then decide to have a non-alcoholic wheat beer at Erdinger Weißbräu.
That’s when we start talking about my trip. “It’s like worlds colliding,” he says. As a new father, husband, and homeowner, my trip seems quite exotic to him. But you don’t have to travel the world to find happiness. It’s sweet to watch Tim try to drink his beer while Mia keeps throwing beer coasters on the floor. You can hardly look at the little one without having to smile at the same time. I ask him what it’s like to be a father.
Oh, I still remember the birth! At first, I couldn’t believe that I had become a father. It was only on the second day that the hormone bomb hit me and I felt a completely new kind of happiness. It’s crazy the bond that you build with your child. Mia has turned our world upside down and has hardly let us sleep in the last half year. But at the same time, she gives us so much in return every day!
With the child, his world has changed and now he gets to rediscover it from the beginning - together with his wife and daughter. A beautiful thought! Later, I will write in my little book:
- Lesson No. 4: Starting a family is like a wild adventure ride through happiness.
Mentally, I imagine a sailing ship in rough waters - the two parents at the helm with the child in their arms - driven by perseverance, sacrifice, and love.
On the way back to the apartment, we are surprised by a hailstorm and arrive home slightly soaked. Tim cooks us dinner while I give Mia a nose flute concert. She particularly likes the song of the Red Horse, which has simply reversed. She turns onto her stomach and starts rocking wildly. Great!
While eating, we talked about the feeling of happiness and how it relates to comparing one’s own situation. He shared a story about his time as an air traffic controller at the airport and how he felt unsure about what a normal salary was. He heard colleagues casually talking about spontaneously buying a new Audi A4 or going on luxury vacations in Dubai. In those situations, he felt hesitant to talk about his family camping holiday in a tent or caravan in Holland, fearing being ridiculed. He realized later that he had been surrounded by a misleading perception of happiness.
- Lesson No. 5: Happiness is not about comparing yourself to people who have more than you.
