“Unexpected events cause us to make adjustments in our thinking about many different aspects of our lives. The bad stuff can make us better, and the serendipitous experiences are pure joy.”
August 22, 2008 (Friday)
I was amused this week as I heard a CNN meteorologist say, “That’s our forecast about Tropical Storm Fay, but, as you know, nothing we have said so far has held true, so it’s anybody’s guess as to what it will do next!” Where is my recorder when I need it? I heard something that few people get to hear: a weather man saying he’s in the dark about what’s about to happen.
Of course, what I’ve said is an oversimplification. All he really meant was that the rapidly changing movement and changes of weather systems has made the forecast more difficult than usual. It was just an honest statement of fact – not a confession or a cry for help.
Well, I’m familiar with that scenario. So are you. Life is predictable up to a point, but sometimes things happen that confuse us and make the future more of a question mark than an exclamation point.
“The Unexpected” was the title of a silent movie in 1916, and of a dramatic T.V. series in 1952. It was also the title of many other foreign movies, with the official title in another language. The phrase describes a common turn of events in our lives.
“Serendipity” describes the positive side of “the unexpected.” “Serendipity” is the effect by which one accidentally discovers something fortunate, especially while looking for something else entirely. As Gomer would say, “Surprise, surprise, surprise!”
Unexpected events cause us to make adjustments in our thinking about many different aspects of our lives. The bad stuff can make us better, and the serendipitous experiences are pure joy.
Don’t ever forget the two frogs who fell into the churn of raw milk. One gave up and drowned. The other kept paddling to stay afloat and soon found himself standing on butter he had accidentally made. Serendipity.
Never give up, no matter what.