Serendipity

Coincidence, happenstance, chance, fluke or luck, call it what you will, I have been blessed with probably more than my share, although how one can quantify that I am not quite sure.

 

Sitting the other night in front of the TV here in the mountains and desultorily flipping through programs, settling on not much, I happened to glance out the window and see this.

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take but by the moments that take your breath away”

(Research as to the author of this quote shows…”the author is uncertain, but some possibilities are: The author is a Canadian man who wrote the quote on a greeting card for Carleton Cards in the mid 1970's . In return for his quote he was remunerated and signed away the copyright to Carleton Cards.
George Carlin Used it. Hilary Cooper USED it.

There is no certainty to who actually came up with it, but I've heard it was Stephanie Marcotte. I'm not sure if this is true, though.” Kateherenow) If the latter it would be total appropriate as I saw the moon from the window of the flat that I rent in Les Marécottes! Close enough for that to be serendipity as well!

Serendipity

 

January 4, 2015, Meinier, Switzerland

 I have the good fortune to often experience things by happenstance; deciding to go for coffee or a meal at the drop of a hat; the taking of one road instead of another; changing plans at the last minute, etc.

 

Often they are linked to (funnily enough) doing something for someone, such as the glorious fog patches that I got to see one morning returning from a run to the train station. Other times it has been the sunrise returning from the airport. It happens often enough that I am always willing to entertain the thought of getting up early and helping someone out as over the years I have had some of the best sights because of these morning trips.

Yesterday afternoon was just one such: needed to take a couple of files and other stuff across town to my oldest son. It just happened that since I didn’t have enough time to have coffee before, I waited a few minutes for him to return from picking up his bike. Then as I “needed” coffee I debated several places then found myself changing lanes and going to the train station. There instead of having coffee in one place, I did in another nearer to the Migros, which then led to going into the grocery store for 5 minutes.  This random using up blocks of time led me back across the bridge around sundown. Then although I took the road that would have led me straight home, at the last minute I decided to go straight through the roundabout via the upper road.

Serendipity – a very bright light beyond the buildings, which I first thought was probably the spots in a soccer field. Getting beyond them though I realized that it was the rising full moon!

Now had I checked or known, the weather would have been lousy; the timing wouldn’t have worked; I wouldn’t have had my camera with me (rarer, but it does happen). As it was I simply pulled off to the side of the road and watched it rise for a good quarter of an hour:  in all its beauty – a sight that I won’t forget in a long, long time, if ever.

Serendipity = my life!

Cranes or Herons flying through top left

Didn't notice the lamp post until I had taken the photo

January 4, 2015, Meinier, Switzerland

Rising moon: fields and vineyards of Meinier with the Voirons

Serendipity or…

Those magic moments, which sometimes happen due to a happy set of circumstances.

 

moon rising through the sunset - direction Mont Blanc

Last night I was lucky enough to enjoy one of them: a good friend returned from visiting her sister with her dad – who will turn 92 next Tuesday – and invited me up for an informal meal. Out on the back terrace a slight breeze, cloudless skies and no direct sun we enjoyed doing a comparison taste-test as to smoked salmon: Norwegian or Scottish? Looked different, but the textures were the same: one smelled smokier, the others' smokiness came at the end of the bite. It was a toss up we decided.   

Chat ranged from everything to nothing, from the absent children (and her spouse currently on a business trip: tourists are known to do 5 countries in 5 days, but some businessmen have to do the same: we certainly had it better), to siblings, to world events then back to food – nothing solved, no big complaints, just an exchange of information and the best of senses. Sparkling white wine, a delicious fresh bread, salted butter – a repast for queens and kings, which is how we felt in the moment.  The entire thing topped off with a crème brûlée and the rising full moon.

 

Couldn’t have planned it, couldn’t have enjoyed it more than we did!