Well. Wouldn’t you know it?
Today is National Serendipity Day
Serendipity is the term for a “happy accident” or a “pleasant surprise.”
As Webster puts it: Serendipity is the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.
It is one of my favorite words, ever. And one of my favorite things to happen. Those “little somethings” that make like wonderful and interesting.
I didn’t know there was a National Day for it. But here it is.
Serendipity Day encourages people to look for and notice those unexpected good things that are always out there. If people would just have the eyes to see them.
History of Serendipity Day
The word serendipity was coined in the mid-1700s by a man named Horace Walpole. In a letter to a friend, he explained how he had created the term from a Persian fairy tale known in English as The Three Princes of Serendip. And from that, he came up with “serendipity.”
I’m not making this up.
Here is a summary of the old, old story.
The Three Princes of Serendip
Once upon a time, there were three princes. They have goofy names, so I call them Jeff, Bob, and Andy. Anyway, these three lived in the kingdom of Serendip (which is now known as Sri Lanka). These princes were known for their intelligence, wisdom, and ability to make remarkable discoveries by chance.
One day, their father, the king, decided it was time for them to prove their worth and sent them on a journey. Along their travels, the princes encountered various situations where their keen observation and deductive skills were put to the test.
Some of the things they had to figure out?
The Camel Incident: One of the most famous episodes involves the princes discovering a lost camel. They deduced its presence and its description solely from the clues they observed—a footprint, some chewed grass, and crushed vegetation. This incident showcased their ability to make deductions and solve mysteries.
The Painted Horse: In another instance, the princes saw a horse and deduced that it had stepped on a painted wet surface based on the paint marks left on the ground. This demonstrated their keen powers of observation and deduction.
The Stolen Ring: Once, a noblewoman lost her ring and accused a servant of stealing it. The princes, after observing the scene, found the ring in a nearby pond, where it had been accidentally dropped by a bird.
The Missing Child: On another occasion, the princes were able to find a lost child by noticing the direction of footprints and other small clues that led them to the child’s whereabouts.
So, they proved their worth and the king was happy and so were the princes, Jeff, Bob, and Andy.
You see, these guys had a great knack for making fortunate discoveries through accidental or unexpected means.
And that is how Walpole first created the word serendipity. From these Serendip guys and their happy accidents.
Happy National Serendipity Day.
(P.S. I found out about all of this completely by accident.)
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“Serendipity. Look for something, find something else, and realize that what you’ve found is more suited to your needs than what you thought you were looking for.” – Lawrence Block
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“Serendipity is the gift of finding things we didn’t know we were looking for.” – Glenda Gapen
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“The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not ‘Eureka!’ but ‘That’s funny…'” – Isaac Asimov
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The guys from Serendip. And that is one happy accident.
