Serendipity

We know that serendipity is the gift of finding something good while seeking something else.  But this intriguing word that is naturally connected with good fortune also has an interesting story behind it.  Serendipity was invented by the writer and politician Horace Walpole in 1754 as an allusion to Serendip, an old Persian name for Sri Lanka.  In a letter that Walpole wrote to his friend he explained an unexpected discovery he had made about a lost painting of Bianca Cappello by Giorgio Vasari by reference to a Persian fairy tale, The Three Princes of Serendip.  The princes, he told his correspondent, were "always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things which they were not in quest of".  

Once in a while we might have beneficial occurrences of events in our lives which is regarded as a fortunate stroke of serendipity, and they usually come with a smile when we mention them.  Is it a stroke of luck or pure randomness?  Or is it by chance or part of destiny?  What is relevant though is that serendipity always comes unplanned and without expectations.  And when there is no expectation, you do not get attached to a desired outcome and be forceful. You are open to whatever that comes along and embrace any change with open arms.  There is complete spontaneity as you have no preconception on what might pop up. 

If this occasional development of serendipity can render us happy and pleasantly surprised, then maybe we can be as unplanned as we can in terms of outcome on all matters. It is not saying that we do not have plans and strategies in lives, but we need not be caught up with the results if we truly love what we do and do what we love.  Let whatever deemed to happen, happen.