Serendipity

noun: the fact of finding interesting or valuable things by chance

Prefer listening to reading? Just click below.

As the words which inspire these posts come from serendipity rather than any process or pattern, it seems appropriate to allow “serendipity” the privilege of being this week’s muse… Actually, perhaps I misspoke there. How would we even go about allowing serendipity? Surely if we could pick and choose, we’d all chance upon good things all the time, right?

I’m sure we all know someone who seems to have good fortune following them around like a loyal dog, someone who greets serendipity with nonchalance: as if it were inevitable. Incidentally, that almost perfectly describes the individual who – rather serendipitously – suggested this week’s word! Conversely, there are those who seem to miss every opportunity before them and fall foul of every misfortune. Why? What causes such disparity?

Perhaps there is no cause. Perhaps we only expect things to be equal because we wish them to be. It’s entirely possible that there are people who cannot escape good luck, and that there are lives destined to be plagued by misfortune. We don’t find that easy to accept, though. Our minds are geared to find patterns, and the law of averages carries an almost religious sanctity among both gamblers and mathematicians. Surely such universally instinctive truths can’t be wrong…

Maybe we’re looking at this the wrong way. Serendipity is, by definition, the act of stumbling across something good, interesting or noteworthy by sheer fluke. It stands to reason that those things are there, whether or not we see them… Then again, if a tree falls and there’s nobody there, how do you know if it makes a sound? If we are to accept that the proverbial lonely tree does, in fact, make a sound, then perhaps serendipity is more a matter of awareness than luck?

How fortuitous people are or aren’t is, in my opinion, extremely subjective. There are those who never have any luck: who buy a house just before the property value falls, losing thousands of pounds on the investment. Not only that, but they develop a minor back problem and have to retire early. This affects their mood and creates even greater financial strain, leading to stress – exacerbating their irritability – which leads to countless rows with their other half (significant or otherwise)… If they could afford to sell up and go their separate ways, they probably would…

A different person in the same situation could see a different picture. They are extremely lucky: they have a home. Neither they or their family will ever be without a roof over their head. That security is more than worth the price. And, even better than that, they don’t have to work anymore! Yes, there’ll be a little less money on hand than they’re used to, but they’ll be able to spend all that extra time with their loved ones while they’re still in relatively good health! Yes, the back can be a bit of a nuisance, but it’s manageable, and if they’d kept working it would be a lot worse. Truly, this person is blessed!

I hope you appreciate the serendipity of stumbling upon this website, dear reader, and I look forward to speaking to you again next week. If you’d like to remove chance from the equation when it comes to finding our latest content, please do subscribe to our newsletter. No fees, no spam, just a simple email notification whenever there’s a new post. And feel free to suggest a word in the comments – it’ll turn up sooner rather than later… just promise not to drive yourself mad thinking about it!

Whether you sought this blog or serendipity brought you here, if you would like to subscribe to our newsletter, leave a comment or support our work, please see below.