This is one of my all time favourite words. Coined by Horace Walpole, 18th Century writer of fairy tales, it means, 'the gift of being able to make happy and unexpected discoveries by accident'. Let me give you an example: We were in St Peter Port, Guernsey a couple of months ago. With a couple of hours to spare we decided to visit Victor Hugo's House (Les Miserables). Toiling up the hill to get to it, we arrived there at 11.30 only to find it didn't open until noon. The exterior of the house was quite unprepossessing; an ordinary house in an ordinary road, with nothing to distinguish it from its neighbours. We almost turned round to head off to somewhere more interesting (wine bar overlooking harbour?)
I'm so glad we hung around. Inside it was astonishing, captivating, every room contained unexpected discoveries. Carpets on the ceiling! Little bits of humour and hidden political comment, (In those days if you spoke out you could be imprisoned or exiled) Overall this tiny house has been well described as a poem on 3 storeys and it is a statement of his spiritual journey, starting on the ground floor (birth) and developing as you reach the top of the house (death)
If you are ever in Guernsey, don't miss this astonishing serendipity. But also cultivate the art of looking for serendipities in your everyday life. Let me close with 2 aphorisms from Victor Hugo.
'A faith is a necessity to a man. Woe to him who believes in nothing'
'Adversity makes men. Prosperity makes monsters'.