How it all began
Serendipity – the secret of longevity?
When asked about the secret of her longevity, a New Zealand centenarian answered just that, ‘Serendipity’. Did she mean that she was born with the good fortune to have lucky genes which kept her alive and well?
After a pause she explained, ‘The happy accident, you know.’ A few seconds later she adjusted her comment. ‘What I mean is that you have to go searching for the happy accident. You have to be on the look-out for it. Something happens every day, you see. If you are not on the look-out for it, chances are that you won’t see it. You won’t find it if you rush through life without paying attention to what goes on around you.’ Another pause led to, ‘And who comes by. You need to pick out the best and enjoy it.’ She was infinitely wiser than the words suggested. It was not genes she was praising at all, but a consciously positive outlook on life.
Travelling with opened eyes
At the time we met I was travelling with an ever swelling diary. That was the day the writing took a sharp swerve into new territory. It is easy to stuff anything and everything into the computer. Who knows how and when I might be able to use it? Well, I continued to do that, but as I pondered each day’s activities before writing them up I began to categorise things differently. I had been selecting according to how something might be interesting to others. Would items be useful for articles, or as the basis of stories, or for reference? Now I was selecting according to what I found personally significant. In particular, I chose at least one item which delighted me, however small.
I homed in on what mattered most in the day. I still do. One miserable afternoon, while nursing a swollen foot after collecting several painful sand-fly bites, I noticed a speck of red by the window. A spider sat motionless on a perfect tiny web which glistened with sunlit dewdrops. Another day a bell bird pealed its distinctive call as it hopped through the mountain beech branches for half a mile, keeping ahead of our weary trudging. Almost hidden she ensured that we followed as she led us away from her nest. Those tiny vignettes stick in my memory two decades later.
At the other emotional extreme I can still feel the rush of stupendous, unexpected joy during a Christmas Eve call home, made from a dingy pub hallway. A new baby was on its way! After five years of childless marriages for all three career-based children, it looked as if grandparenthood was not going to happen. Not exactly an accident, that news, I suppose, however happy, – but you could say our decision to make the phone call was serendipitous.
A good way to live
Our centenarian would consider that being pro-active is part of serendipity too. We should invite it in, she was telling me, and give it a chance to reach us. She herself was active and gregarious, determined to get out and about whatever the obstacles, human or otherwise. At home she kept herself busy and attentive. Always searching for that magic moment just around the corner, she was determined that it would not get away from her.