Serendipity - n. an unexpected stroke of good fortune.
While one of its other definitions is 'an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident' I much prefer this one. Basically it would be what you'd have called the finding of the $20 bill without the ensuing parking ticket.
Personally, I like unexpected strokes of good fortune more than everything just going right in the first place. It's more interesting and it really makes me appreciate the flow of events more, and makes for a better story besides. For example, you might go to the store and return home. Uneventful. Unremarkable. Or you could forget to buy sponges, resign yourself to making an extra trip, only to find a 3-pack hidden in the back of the cabinet. O happy day!
Then again, I've always had more than my fair allocation of good luck. If it were otherwise I might be less favorably inclined to leave things to chance. As things stand, hurray serendipity!
By the way, I am aware that my scenario there and the description given of my own experiences with this phenomenon are, indeed, perfectly fitting for that other definition I said I didn't care for. What ev's, man. What ev's.
Serendipity is an amazing word. It's up there with Schadenfruede as one of my favourites. It's also a nice thing to happen to you.
ReplyDeleteThat gif happened to me a while ago. I was walking along, this one guy was speeding and I almost got run over but I -just- scraped it. Lucky for me, I was fully capable of blogging the next day.
ReplyDeleteWhere are my values?
btw, is the gif real? Where did that awesome scene happen ?
ReplyDeleteWell, ain't you lucky.
ReplyDeleteFun coincidences like that are apt to make one's day. :D
I really like that word too. It pains me that that one annoying film used it for the movie title.
ReplyDeletesounds like in a movie. Have you seen that one?
ReplyDelete@Linux and Life: Judging by the kart the guy was driving I'd venture a guess that this is somewhere in Asia.
ReplyDeleteEvery damn second is serendipitous when you think about how many millions of events had to go perfectly right for you to be where you are at this very moment.
ReplyDelete@Bonjour Tristesse: Oh, I dunno. A good portion of those seconds aren't of good fortune, that is to say, millions of events went perfectly wrong for you to be where you were at the very moment you get rear-ended.
ReplyDelete