Language & ideas
Serendipity
An unexpected discovery of something valuable or welcome.
The idea
The meeting was luck. Sending the follow-up was a choice. An unexpected opening still needs someone to walk through it.
An example
You attend a workshop for one skill and discover a collaborator instead. The unexpected meeting is the welcome discovery; your follow-up is a deliberate action. Keep those two parts distinct.
Try it
Recall a fortunate surprise. What was accidental, and what did you choose to do with it?
More context
Definition paraphrased. Original example: “A wrong turn led us to a tiny bookshop: pure serendipity.”
Sources & further reading
the 102 platform