In Search of Serendipity

Soon, I hope…

Al Gallia — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 18:13:38 +0000

Hope to start posting again soon, if the good Lord is willing and life begins to follow some sort of ‘normalcy’. God bless.

Serendipity…a favorite word of mine

Al Gallia — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 11:51:02 +0000

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.

Horace Walpole

“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.

Peace Grows Joy

Al Gallia — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 00:55:27 +0000

“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]

See God's Beauty in All Things

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.

Listen to the Voice of God

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.

God bless… Al

Be Resolute and Faithful…

Al Gallia — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 13:26:20 +0000

Roatan Island Anchorage ©Bobbie Gallia

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

Sparkling Lanatana ©Bobbie Gallia

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?

Have a good day!

Serendipity is a Lady

Al Gallia — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 22:06:56 +0000

Springtime brings with its renewal and rebirth a rejuvenation of faith, hope, and time for reflection. It is a great time to bring out the camera to catch splendid candid shots of Alma Natura as she dresses in her finest.

During a recent walkabout near my home, my thoughts turned to a favorite subject… my personal concept of Serendipity… and especially how it relates to my favorite interest, photography, and my quest for that special and unique shot.

Lady Serendipity

So what is Serendipity to me? I choose to give Serendipity a mysterious presence, something I can’t quite put my finger on. In my search for that special photo, I prefer to see Serendipity as a beautiful, shy lady… perhaps a woodland fairy or nymph coyly hiding. Sometimes while walking through nature, I sense her out of the corner of my eye, just on the edge of my peripheral vision, and feel that if I turn quickly enough she may become visible.

In our normal daily lives, we often pay little attention to the natural world around us. Instead we focus our attention on what confronts us each day… things we have to do, our schedules, our problems, events and happenings, and our feelings. But as far as noticing God’s gift of natural beauty about us, we generally fail to do so.

It is very difficult to stop, block distracting thoughts, and look intently at the natural world… to notice the movement and smell of the breeze, the flowers, the trees, the birds, the animals, and the water. We find it so hard to redirect our focus to the beauty of nature and place it at the center of our attention. Yet this is what we must do to catch a glimpse of that nymph, Serendipity, perhaps in a bunch of wildflowers or in the reflections on a stream.

So we are our own worse enemy! Serendipity is a lady! She doesn’t come to you. She waits secretly for you to find her, often in the most ordinary of places. Serendipity is not easily found. Your best opportunities always come unexpectedly by chance, usually while strolling with full awareness of your surroundings in a secluded area… such as a woodlands, beach, garden, or park. If your senses are alert, you may feel her presence about you. Always have your camera ready, be watchful, and she may decide to present herself to you… in that very special photographic opportunity. If Serendipity favors you, gladly thank her, and you will continue to find her near you again and again.

Happy hunting!

Anxiety and Stress…Our Burden in Today’s World!

Al Gallia — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 14:58:24 +0000

“If I ask God to guide me, He will,
provided I completely trust in Him.
He will not deem it necessary
to show me just how He will guide me,
but He will give me light for each day.”

Anxiety and stress are not new to mankind. These disabling feelings have always been with us, since the earliest cavemen worried about daily survival, food, shelter, and animal attacks. As civilization developed over the millenniums, new “worries” were added to the list…invading armies, plagues, evil kings or lords, slavery, etc. This constantly changing and compounding list of troubles has become more and more complex until it evolved to today’s list.

Today, we are constantly bombarded with “information overload“, which in itself has become another major source of anxiety and stress. Watching TV, browsing the Internet, listening to the radio, reading the newspapers, or overhearing office conversations pound our senses 24 hours a day with an excess of so-called “news”. We are overloaded from the access to so much information, almost instantaneously, without knowing the validity of the content, the character and credentials of the source, and the risk of misinformation. Anxiety and stress appear to be everywhere, and there are many causes today such as terrorism, wars, employment, personal finances, health issues, social issues, relationships, fear of the unknown, busyness, lack of self-esteem. And there may be many others according to our personal paradigm, the set of experiences, beliefs and values that affect the way we perceive reality and respond to that perception.

A prevailing thought of today is that if we are not living with some kind of anxiety, we are not living in reality. Surely, this is not the kind of reality we want to live in. We want the stress and anxiety of living diminished and managable. How do we achieve this goal?

What is the secret? The way to be anxious about nothing… is to be prayerful about everything! If we just ask, God gives us this secret in the apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians,

“Do not be anxious about anything,
but in everything, by prayer and petition,
with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
And the peace of God,
which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds
in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:6, 7, NIV)

God’s answer to anxiety is prayer. So, how does prayer make a difference and help us cope? Well, it changes our thought viewpoint, our paradigm —the way we think and perceive things. Anxiety and stress arise when concern and confusion about problems and issues in our lives seem to be out of control. Stress also arises when we develop fear or uncertainty about the future… when we feel unable to control our lives or accomplish needed tasks.

Heartfelt prayer can effectively shift our thoughts from an anxious, stressful state of not knowing or doubting to one of knowing and trusting. Our prayer, if truly from our inner being, brings us a shining, inner light of hope and shows us more clearly than we saw before, what we already have and are, and what is really true. It shows us what God is, everlasting love and salvation.

Through prayer we learn to “trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV). If we apply this secret diligently to our lives, we will find our paths through the tangled web of life much straighter, clearer, and easier to follow. So, there you have the secret! God bless… Al