Serendipity: The effect by which one accidentally discovers something fortunate, especially while looking for something entirely unrelated.
When my kids were little we had a series of books called Serendipity. They featured a small sea creature named, of course, Serendipity, trying desperately to discover just who she was and what she was meant to do in this world. Each adventure had a serendipitous ending, a surprise that no one was expecting.
Serendipity became a favorite word and quest. We were always looking for the serendipity in a situation, staying open for what we were really suppose to be seeing or experiencing or learning. One of my favorites was my youngest, Sam, calling me early in the morning to tell me about the beautiful sunrise above the woods and fields by the high school. He didn’t particularly like high school, found it a difficult place to be, and yet saw past the building to the beauty of the morning and carried that with him all day, still talking about it when I saw him in the evening.
Serendipity is a bit of a surprise, the “aha” moments of our lives. Last week I found the first eggs from the laying chickens. Tiny little eggs tucked down in the sawdust and in the nesting boxes. The wonderful promise of lots of good eating to come. (yes, they will get bigger) I was cleaning the stall when I found the first one, not really expecting them for a couple more weeks. I was so excited, joy in a small blue oval. Those first eggs flooded me with memories; little hands picking eggs, my mom with a basket full, washing and sorting, trying to color colored eggs for Easter, wonderful connections to family and the gifts of nature.
Adventures in nature and the outdoors are full of serendipity. Be ready to be surprised!