Oh, oh oh oh!That's sorta the way things went this evening as I sat down to begin writing this one.
Serendipity. Those unexpected moments of good fortune and discovery. Some people call it coincidental or a fluke. Others claim it's pure luck. It's even defined that way in the dictionary. But is it all just fortuitous? Well, I gotta say that serendipitous moments occur far too often in my life to believe they are merely random happenstance. I'll give you an example:
A couple weeks ago, I was at the dentist getting my teeth cleaned. It was a different dental hygienist than I usually see and she asked me if I use a waterpik. I've been asked this before and always conclude that my tooth brush and floss get the job done just fine. But this time, I thought I would look into them, see how much they cost, the benefits, yada yada. After researching them, I still wasn't sure I wanted (or needed) to spend the eighty bucks. Then a few days ago, I was on my way to the market to pick up a few groceries, when on a whim I took a detour and swung over to a thrift store I hadn't been to in awhile. As I was browsing around checking things out, low and behold, sitting on a shelf filled with a plethora of odds and ends, was a brand new waterpik still in its original, sealed box! I wasn't consciously looking for one and certainly would never expect to find a brand new one at a thrift store, but there it was. I paid a measly $15.59 for it. Just a stroke of luck, right?
I don't see it that way. What I do notice about serendipitous moments, is that they often occur when we are in flow-mode rather than control-mode; when we are inherently tuned in to our surroundings and react instinctively on impulse. Like when I was heading to get groceries, and suddenly got the notion to change course and head to the thrift store. It was totally spontaneous. There was no forethought or agenda, I was merely going there for the fun of it. (You can read more about my thrifty adventures here.)
So what if every moment is a serendipitous one, and we are simply oblivious to how one thing leads to another, until we're further down the road looking back at our journey? What if solutions and the things we need or want are right under our noses, but we miss them because we're not paying attention? Are we way more intuitive than we realize or utilize? Can one impromptu thought or action change everything? I tend to think so. Even our so-called mistakes and fails are serendipitous moments that lead to greater refinement, wisdom and opportunity. Serendipity and synchronicity seem to walk hand-in-hand. When we experience a serendipitous event, it often sparks a sense of expanded awareness that fully synchronizes us with life itself.
I am always highly grateful, giddy and amazed by these serendipitous moments. They bring me such joy, for they offer a tiny glimpse into the true meaning and design of our lives, which is way more intricate than we can even fathom. When we instinctively respond to promptings and ideas that seem to come out of the blue, things tend to flow super smoothly, with little effort on our part. Much like this blog post, thanks to my muse, Horshack. 😄