Serendipity

"Yet even in certain defeat, the courageous Trager secretly clung to the belief that life is not merely a series of meaningless accidents or coincidences. Uh-uh. But rather it's a tapestry of events that culminate in an exquisite, sublime plan." ~ Dean Kansky "Serendipity"

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Thank you Horace Walpole

~We are indebted to the English author Horace Walpole for the word serendipity, which he coined in one of the 3,000 or more letters on which his literary reputation primarily rests. In a letter of January 28, 1754, Walpole says that “this discovery, indeed, is almost of that kind which I call Serendipity, a very expressive word.” Walpole formed the word on an old name for Sri Lanka, Serendip. He explained that this name was part of the title of “a silly fairy tale, called The Three Princes of Serendip: as their highnesses traveled, they were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things which they were not in quest of....”~ (Taken from Theasaurus.com)

I constantly find myself finding things that I wasn't "in quest of;" very fortunate accidents. Take for instance, my college of choice: Thomas Aquinas College. Fortunate that my darling sisters attended, fortunate that my parents insist I attend the summer program, accidental in the fact that I loved it and made a few very good friends at that program.

I find that I revel in these serendipitous moments. They give my true character a chance to emerge as I react to new places, new people and new circumstances. They also act as modern day adventures; spur of the moment quests in which the everyday mundane becomes somehow romanticized into a tale of heroic feats. Maybe they're just fun.

2 Comments:

Blogger Sephora said...

Welcome! I look forward to reading about your adventures, especially as you embark on the great college adventure. I love you ...and I'll be watching!

1:49 PM  
Blogger nutmeg said...

Yay....another blogging sibling!

Loved your first two posts, keep 'em coming!

Love you and miss you!

5:50 AM  

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