The question
What period or moment in your life brought you the most joy?Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
Asked in 52 of the 131 consecutive instalments of The Guardian's The Q&A harvested on 2026-08-29.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
Before kids, when I was 13 or so, on the back of my horse, running at full speed in an open pasture. Post kids, happiness happens often, but in more subtle ways. I now prefer the word “content”.
The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 20 May 2017 source ↗
Flying in over London on a cool, clean morning after a long time away.
Getting my full Equity card as a professional performer.
When I met [my wife] Sandra. I was coming up 17. We met at the Two Puddings, a dance hall in Stratford.
Probably when Fulham beat Juventus 4-1 in the Europa League.
I might speed up a few details, but wouldn’t change anything, other than my dad still being here.
To strangers. Living in New York, I see individuals every day who are invisible to so many. I want to say sorry that so many of us think their pain and suffering is not our own.
As someone who didn’t waste a minute.
The birth of my daughter.
My father’s death before my marriage and motherhood.
A midwife named Jennie Joseph. She is a tireless activist for women, family health and equal access to quality maternity care.
Robson Green, Dan Stevens, Steve Jones, Neneh Cherry, Emily Watson, Björn Ulvaeus
Search the directory for somebody in particular.