Just a couple of days ago I had an interesting conversation with one of my co-writers about the current mood in the city and it was pretty surprising how contradicting our individual impressions were. It really got me thinking about my views of the city that I have kept for a long time. Of course it is pretty much a given fact that the place you live in becomes a conduit for your personal moods. But I had this idea about Berlin that – beside the obvious spikes up and down – it somehow averaged in a state I would describe as a bit grey, a bit dirty and a bit grumpy. I remember I often thought that the people in the subway had the corners of their mouths turned a little more downwards than any other city in the world. And the perception of my co-writer that she currently had of Berlin pretty much confirmed this notion, even though her view was even a bit more gloomy than that.
I reacted almost perplexed. My perspective was completely different. I was away from Berlin for the past 6 months and after I returned recently the city has greeted me with such a good mood. The city seemed so cheerful, so many people in the streets smiled and me and looked so carefree and happy. I saw such a colorful, vibrant and relaxed world around me. So clean and so green. I felt and still feel like in some kind of paradise, every day that I leave the house. It was really curious, because I absolutely didn’t remember the city like that. Of course now in the summer the mood of the city and the people is generally on an upwards trend. But this was more than usual.
Now you might wonder: In which grey hell hole was he before that his perspective of the city changed so much? I was in South America, so not exactly a place that I would consider triste. But it’s not so much the place itself that I was in, it’s my feelings toward Berlin while I was there. It’s always so refreshing to live in another place for a while because it resets your perspective on your home. You understand to appreciate a few things again that you started to take for granted over time. For the first time in a long time I missed Berlin, really truly missed it. And coming back made me so happy, that this happiness was just the only thing that I could feel. So I only saw the beautiful corners, warm colors and smiling faces that mirrored my own feelings. And all of a sudden the grumpy old Berlin felt like a big happyland.
For a month now I am in this joyful daze that doesn’t seem to end. Berlin can do me no wrong right now. I want to give everyone a big smile that I cross paths with in hopes that I can mirror their own positive feelings. And I hope with this text I can redirect the view of my co-writer away from the grumpy grey parts of Berlin towards the joyful happy ones.
