WORDABULOUS, Tenn. -- This week's "positive word" is Serendipity: The effect by which one accidentally stumbles upon something fortunate, especially while looking for something else. (Like unexpectedly "finding” someone who has a remarkable impact on your life or career.)
One of my very favorite words is “serendipity.” I love not only the sound of it, but the aura surrounding this word. Coined around 1750 by a literate named Horace Walpole, it is taken from a Sanskrit word for Sri Lanka. It is its meaning that captures the entire story of my life because it has come to mean “the unconscious art of finding something wonderful while looking for something else.” Many of the world’s great discoveries have been attributed to serendipity. . . everything from Sir Isaac Newton’s law of gravity to potato chips and chocolate chip cookies. In my own life, I can honestly say that the richest gifts that have been given to me have come through serendipity. When I met my husband, I was searching for my own personal independence. When I wrote the book, "Wordabulous!', it was because I was searching for a way to motivate my students to perform well in the national vocabulary championship. I could go on and on, but seeing as how I’m in the middle of three other projects at the same time, I think I’ll just wish everyone a “serendipitous (adjective form of serendipity) day.”
One of my very favorite words is “serendipity.” I love not only the sound of it, but the aura surrounding this word. Coined around 1750 by a literate named Horace Walpole, it is taken from a Sanskrit word for Sri Lanka. It is its meaning that captures the entire story of my life because it has come to mean “the unconscious art of finding something wonderful while looking for something else.” Many of the world’s great discoveries have been attributed to serendipity. . . everything from Sir Isaac Newton’s law of gravity to potato chips and chocolate chip cookies. In my own life, I can honestly say that the richest gifts that have been given to me have come through serendipity. When I met my husband, I was searching for my own personal independence. When I wrote the book, "Wordabulous!', it was because I was searching for a way to motivate my students to perform well in the national vocabulary championship. I could go on and on, but seeing as how I’m in the middle of three other projects at the same time, I think I’ll just wish everyone a “serendipitous (adjective form of serendipity) day.”
