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Serendipity:

 

My partner, as in significant other, and I have decided to blend our families. We with our teenage young adults have decided to combine our worlds under one remodeled-to-fit roof: a commitment not made lightly or in haste, a well considered decision.

 

We then went off to consult and persuade our respective children. One said, "Cool, he's been practically living here since you two met." The other said, "I'll think about it. "The jury is still out on the future of the endeavor; though we remain cautiously optimistic.

 

That evening, we (she and I) compared notes: a parental he said, she said. During continued discussion: Where, when and how do we manage the logistics of all of this, my partner showed me a duel purpose coupon found in the morning paper for duct cleaning and rug shampooing, two big jobs that we will need done to facilitate the move if not the blend. The cost of the offers will aid our strained budget. A small yet important and timely boost in the direction of stress reduction: Serendipity.

 

Serendipity:     The faculty of making lucky finds, making pleasant discoveries by chance,(n) chance, mere chance, happy chance, luck, good fortune, fortuity, fortuitousness, accident, and coincidence. Coined by Horace Warpole (1717-97), Gothic novel. "Castle of Orranto" (1765) Inspired by the Persian fairy tale "Three Princes of Serendip". Serendip is the ancient name for Sri Lanka.

 

Serendipity, good karma or good luck, is generally very welcome by its proponents, when it happens, though not as well understood, is how or why it happens. After all who can predict the occurrence of good luck.

 

In my lifetime, luck, both good and bad, has played major roles: roles of life and death.

 

I have written reams of prose and poetry dealing with the misfortunate developments. This article is about the other side of the coin and a misconnection or missing ingredient in my awareness of the cosmic recipe perhaps called: life du jour.

 

That indispensable ingredient is the dreaded (Hold on to your testis, if you have them.) "C" word: Commitment.

 

Commitment, in relationship, equals internment, to the average gun-shy North American male. I am no less than an example of the trend. In fact, in this matter, I could lead the parade. My prideful claim to being a liberated male of a different colour, playing and dancing to yet a different (djembe) drummer (pun intended) falls flat on my bulbous-snout bedecked mug. Thus, of course, altering the course of history in Sri Lanka and the genetic resemblance between my children and myself (much to their mirthful chagrin) forever.

 

Commitment: (n) undertaking, obligation, responsibility, duty, liability, tie, task, engagement, dedication, devotion, involvement, loyalty, allegiance, adherence, promise, pledge, vow, assurance, and covenant.

 

The Oxford Paperback Thesaurus, Oxford University Press (1994), left out, institutionalization, or chain gang, or burden, etc., all good synonyms for the male viewpoint  on commitment within relationship and , "This relationship stuff has gone too far into the women thing (They do love that word "relationship". Spend all your time defining and redefining {as if you didn't quite get it right the first dozen times or so, practice makes perfect} your relationship.). So much for relationship, "relation-shipping" and all the little relative ships that spring up in the process.

 

This is not an article, calculated to espouse my tired views on a tired subject. That horse was terminal long ago, no need to grind the bones to meal for mystery meat.

 

Commitment is the missing link, with the cynosure of commitment , the creative initiative comes into play within the daily events and routines that construct our time. This creative energy or initiative is sometimes felt on the subconscious level and is identified as intuition: That little quiet voice deep within our gut that directs us to alter our pattern ever-so-slightly to place us in the right place at the opportune time for the lightning of luck to strike.

 

Serendipity: coincidences which when woven together, flower into the sound track upon which your life is played. The music only plays well for good listeners. Sans commitment of some kind, be it art, sport, health, academia, trade, profession, lifestyle, relationship, etc., the song of serendipity is not heard.

 

There is, some believe, such an animal as blind luck. If it were a horse, and could be controlled, every bookie would conspire to bet on it, after the handicap was set (odds in their favor, of course). I agree with fortuitousness of chance occurring for, seemingly, no apparent  rhyme or reason. Yet I would wager my next lotto winning that the silent partner of serendipity, commitment,  is lurking in the shadows, just out of the limelight, perhaps in the shadow of the huge pasteboard cheque, that I just won.

 

The ultra successful seem to get all the breaks. The breaks in life are made by those who have figured it out, or maybe, just chanced upon the intertwined relationship (that word, again) between commitment  (not the "C"word, again) and serendipity.

 

 

By daring to commit: listening to and following your intuitive sense of self within life's events, and optimizing any fortuitous opportunities that materialize:  that fickled nag, serendipity (lady luck) and commitment, her hard rider, may carry your future and good fortune into the land where dreams are lived.

Good luck and serendipity to you.

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