Walking Through the Rain

Sean and Lauren take a long walk through Boston's public gardens and debate what truly brings happiness.

Walking Through the Rain

Listen and choose the right answer

What worries Lauren as they walk through the park?

• Whether she has ever been truly content or just on the hedonic treadmill
• Whether she will get a promotion at her corporate job in Boston
• Whether it is going to start raining harder before they reach home

How does Sean feel about his past compared to the present?

• He regrets wasting his twenties in Austin
• He realizes he was happiest when he had nothing
• He wishes he had earned more money back then

What activity gave Sean a profound sense of fulfillment recently?

• Building a new website for his startup
• Volunteering at a community shelter
• Traveling across the United States

What surprising realization do they share at the end of the conversation?

• They both hate living in Boston
• They both want to quit their jobs tomorrow
• They both consider the same disastrous camping trip in the rain to be their happiest day

Listen again and complete the sentences

• Lauren: What worries me is whether I've ever been truly content, or if I've just been running on that endless ____ .
• Lauren: Maybe so, but look at everyone rushing past us in Boston. They're all chasing happiness through ____ and promotions.
• Lauren: True, but what I've realized lately is that my overall ____ has actually gone down as my income has gone up.
• Lauren: People change, Sean. What matters most to me now is having a genuine ____ and finding meaningful work.
• Sean: I can't argue with that. I felt a profound sense of ____ when I started volunteering at the community shelter last year.

Sources: photo by Nasirun Khan on Pexels