What is Serendipty?
Serendipity” refers to those beautiful moments when we stumble upon something valuable or meaningful entirely by chance. It is the fortuitous meeting with a long-lost friend, discovering a hidden gem in a secondhand bookstore, receiving help when desperately needed, or stumbling upon an incredible opportunity that alters the course of our lives.
My Fall
I had completed a morning brunch with a friend. As I exited the diner, I did not notice there was a step down. I landed flat on my face with multiple cuts and bruises, including an out-of-joint nose. Serendipitously, a nurse was just leaving the parking lot and stopped to tend to me until the ambulance arrived. My friend Doug stayed with me for six hours in the ER. Nelson Price, retired; former president/CEO of the Odyssey Cable Channel, now living in Jamesville, NY., a suburb of Syracuse.
My Heart Attack
I had landed in Madison, WI and was having lunch at a Chinese restaurant. The food tasted good until my ice cream dessert arrived. It tasted awful, in spite of the fact that ice cream is a favorite from childhood. I was feeling nauseous and went to the men’s room and stayed for about 10 minutes. I did not feel better or lose my lunch. I returned to the waiting room, stretched out on a long bench, and asked the hostess to call 911. An ambulance arrived quickly. Doctors were waiting for me at the Emergency Room. I received two stents! If I had still been on my flight, or if I was on my way in a rental car in rural Wisconsin, the experience probably would have been different!
The Airport
I was waiting to board my flight to Chicago’s Ohare airport and wondering what my road route would be to Bloomington, Il., where I was scheduled to speak. The schedule downstate was tight, so I was concerned about arriving on time. As I sat thinking, I looked at the seats across from me and saw what looked like a map. I retrieved it. It was a road map of Illinois. How do you explain that?
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