In Search of Serendipity

“A single gentle rain makes the grass many shades greener. So our prospects brighten on the influx of better thoughts. We should be blessed if we lived in the present always, and took advantage of every accident that befell us, like the grass which confesses the influence of the slightest dew that falls on it; and did not spend our time in atoning for the neglect of past opportunities, which we call doing our duty. We loiter in winter while it is already spring. In a pleasant spring morning all men’s sins are forgiven…”

— Henry David Thoreau. “Spring,” Walden (1854)

What better time than Springtime to refresh our faith, thoughts and spirits. In the cool of the evening, try finding time alone in a quiet secluded place outdoors, away from the busyness of daily life …a park bench, a sandy beach, a scenic trail, or a shady nook in your backyard …and simply sit in stillness for a while. Minutes can often turn into hours as we become entranced by the feel of the soft breeze, the sounds of birds and wildlife, and the rhythmic, soothing voice of God’s creation surrounding us. Strive to live in the present always.

Spring is here in all its glorious beauty and rebirth of life! Today, the following words of wisdom import a significant message to me as I try to adjust priorities in my life …to simplify …to find faith and peace. Yes, God has been very good to me and I am blessed with a wonderful wife and family. I am not saying I am unsatisfied or searching for “more purpose”, but that I am always looking for the answer to the question, “Who I am?” Or, to phrase it another way, “What do I want to be when I grow up?” Perhaps you may wish to spend a few moments considering these words too.

“Be resolutely and faithfully what you are,
be humbly what you aspire to be.
Be sure you give men the best of your wares,
though they be poor enough,
and the gods will help you to lay up a better store
for the future.”

…Henry David Thoreau

The questions posed above seem to naturally cause us to ponder other questions about what we aspire to and what we truly hold precious and dear in our lives. Certainly, our family, loved ones, and faith are included. But is the hustle and busyness of our daily lives and the overwhelming information overload from TV, internet and cell phones included too? I don’t think so! Have we sadly forgotten how to sit on the porch and swing?

[Excerpts from
"Things I Hold Most Dear", by Beverly J. Anderson]

“The things I hold most dear in life
We cannot sell or buy…
A rose that sparkles wet with dew,
The morning’s gilded sky…
A meadow fair where daisies grow,
And golden sunbeams play…
The painted foliage of fall,
The blossoms in the spring…
The mauve-pink sunset spread across
The sky in evening…
The quiet times of peacefulness,
The summer’s balmy breeze —
I treasure all of these…
A family near, a friend that’s true,
And God to care for me…
These are the things I hold most dear —
And all of them are free!

Have a good day!

How wonderful Springtime is! The world sluggishly awakens from a long wintery hibernation into a bright and joyous renewal of life and nature, as nourishing Mother Nature waves her magic wand and calls forth a rebirth of vibrant beauty and energy. Life and nature are reborn amid great excitement! We are exhilarated as sunshine, colorful trees and flowers, and newborn creatures begin to appear. Yes, we feel much like Thoreau apparently felt when he wrote this entry in his Journal 150 years ago…

[Excerpt from The Writings of Henry David Thoreau: Journal (entry March 22, 1853), by Henry David Thoreau]

“As soon as those spring mornings arrive in which the birds sing, I am sure to be an early riser. I am waked by my genius. I wake to inaudible melodies and am surprised to find myself expecting the dawn in so serene and joyful and expectant a mood. I have an appointment with spring. She comes to the window to wake me, and I go forth an hour or two earlier than usual. It is by especial favor that I am waked, —not rudely but gently, as infants should be waked. Though as yet the trill of the chip-bird is not heard, — added, —like the sparkling bead which bursts on bottled cider or ale. When we wake indeed, with a double awakening, —not only from our ordinary nocturnal slumbers, but from our diurnal, —we burst through the thallus of our ordinary life with a proper exciple, we awake with emphasis.”

As Spring comes upon us, open wide your doors and windows and breath deeply the sweetness floating on the gentle breeze. Watch as God’s precious gifts unfold about you in a vibrant display of his love and give him praise and thanksgiving. If you keep your eyes and heart open…and camera ready too…you may just catch of glimpse of elusive Serendipity too, as she is often found in the company of Alma Nature.

Have a great day!

“The seeds of joy grow best in a field of peace. Yet, much of the time most of us seem to live with some degree of anxiety or uncertainty.”

[An excerpt from Living Simply in an Anxious World by Robert Wicks]

At Easter time, we are again reminded of God’ promise of joy, peace and hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. What a wonderful message of salvation, one that we all need hear in these times of unrest and stress, of struggle and war.

And how difficult it is to find that “field of peace” to plant our “seeds of joy”. At times, it seems so completely hidden to our eyes. To find it, we must somehow discover simplicity and dedication in the middle of turmoil in our frantic lives . We must somehow embrace the God-given question that we must answer, “How can I love?“

Addressing this question is not easy. First, we must learn to recognize and listen to the voice of God at all times, even in times of pain. Second, we must learn to see God’s beauty in all things around us through the grateful eyes of hope. Third, we must learn to be of true service to God, which doesn’t have to be obvious. Fourth, we must learn to experience God in all we do, but primarily through prayer. And lastly, we must learn to change our perception of life and faith from one of complexity to one of simplicity and hope, to find God in all things in our lives…to facilitate the faculty of serendipity in our daily lives.

May God guide us in our search for his secret place…the field of peace…so that we too can sow our seeds of joy.

Today, Christians around the world celebrate Palm Sunday… Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem. As millions turn their hearts briefly from the demands of their hectic lives to spirituality and the search for truth, peace and hope during the Lenten season, it only seems fitting to reflect on the spiritual aspect of this final week of Passiontide before Easter.

“For God so loved the world

that he gave his only begotten Son…”
John 3:16

During this week, try not to dwell on the injuries you may have received from friends or other people. Instead, pray to the Lord and ask him to deal with those hurts for you. Ask his Holy Spirit to release your burdens from you, especially those caused by others. Stop your busyness for a moment, sit quietly, reflect on God’s love for you, and let his joy and peace surround you like a fresh breeze and give you the power to forgive. If you pray earnestly and with faith, Jesus can heal your broken spirit. Through him, you can receive the freedom you are longing for!

“Serendipity” has always intrigued me in its possible application to my photographic endeavors. On those rare occasions when someone may say about one of my photos, “Wow that was lucky! That’s amazing! How did you manage to get that shot”?, I know that it wasn’t really luck or accident…but serendipity…that presented that magical moment.

I am beginning to realize that if you want to be lucky on your photographic journeys, you need to be there poised, waiting for the right moment, and ready with your camera just as the magnificent rainbow appears.

By practicing anticipation as a particular scene unfolds and being aware of all happenings in the surrounding environment, you can develop a sense of the moment. Become one with the world around you, watch, wait, and be ready. Whenever you are tempted to keep driving by after seeing a special scene that grabs your interest, don’t. Stop, make that U-turn, and go back and shoot it. You can be sure that you simply won’t get another chance.

Such photographic compositional events are not just accidents for many photographers. “Synchronicity” was a term used by Carl Jung to describe the uncanny almost miraculous confluence of events which sometimes happens to one. Keep this thought foremost in your mind…that when you are out on a photographing adventure or taking the trouble to get yourself to an unusual place, the unexpected is to be expected. Be alert and ready for serendipity!

Don’t trust in magic but become adept at serendipitous moments of opportunity. When you come home and show your images, someone will say to you, “Wow that was a lucky shot. How did you get that,” You can just smile and say “Thanks!”

The word “serendipity” was coined by British author Horace Walpole in 1754, in a letter he wrote to his friend, Horace Mann, the English resident in Florence. Serendip was the former name of Sri Lanka.

“I once read a silly fairy tale, called ”The Three Princes of Serendip”: as their highnesses travelled, they were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things which they were not in quest of: for instance, one of them discovered that a mule blind of the right eye had travelled the same road lately, because the grass was eaten only on the left side, where it was worse than on the right”. Now do you understand ‘’serendipity”? One of the most remarkable instances of this ”accidental sagacity” (for you must observe that ”no” discovery of a thing you ”are” looking for, comes under this description) was of my Lord Shaftsbury, who happening to dine at Lord Chancellor Clarendon’s, found out the marriage of the Duke of York and Mrs. Hyde, by the respect with which her mother treated her at table.” as given by W.S. Lewis, ed., ”Horace Walpole’s Correspondence”, Yale edition, in the book by Theodore G. Remer, Ed.: ”Serendipity and the Three Princes, from the Peregrinaggio of 1557, Edited, with an Introduction and Notes, by Theodore G. Remer, Preface by W.S. Lewis”. University of Oklahoma Press, 1965. LCC 65-10112.

“Serendipity” is a difficult word to grasp, especially as associated with “accidental sagacity.” Perhaps the following exercise may aid in understanding its true meaning.

Take out a piece of paper and write down everything you noticed on your way to work or school this morning, not what you know from long-term memory is along your route, but what you actually saw today. Or heard or smelled or tasted. Would you have much to write?

So, the kind of sagacity or wisdom that contributes to serendipity is the kind that comes from paying attention. An oblivious person doesn’t notice serendipity.

Serendipity also obliges us to have some purpose we care about, some good intention, or to have a dream or a hope, not for material goods beyond the necessities, but for a purpose more intrinsic to our well-being than acquisitions.

If we live to work, work, work, or if all we are seeking is to make it through the day, and through the week to pay-day and then to the gym and to shop til we drop, after which we pick up fast-food, fast-carry, fast-serve, fast-eat supper which we eat in front of the TV, it seems unlikely that anything more meaningful than “happy accidents” will come our way.

So, strive to be aware and alert to all the unfolding wonder around you each and every day. Make the search for serendipity part of your life journey each and every day. You will be rewarded with a simpler, happier life.

Welcome to my photoblog! It is my photographic journal related to topics and subjects dear to my heart…faith, life, nature and simplification. I do not presume to be self-important or have deeper messages to present. No…I only wish to offer a respite from the daily busy world with wonderful tidbits of poetry, quotations, and excerpts accentuated with beautiful photos and photoart taken by myself and my wife, Bobbie, during our many travels. It will take some time to define and refine my presentations but I hope you will bear with me and submit any comments that may be helpful. I will appreciate hearing from you.

It is my hope that you will check back often or click on the RSS Subscribe link to receive updates as they occur.

Thanks, Al Gallia