THE SERENDIPITY OF MASADA

At a local interest group I try to get to, the task in hand was for each of us to present a short exposition of something we might liked to have done, or something we had done, followed by questions from the group.  As I had missed a couple of meetings I felt I ought to show my face for this one. What to do for it was the issue. I thought of a couple of clever ideas, ideas that were just a bit too clever. I urged myself to keep it simple and drew a blank.

On the morning of the meeting I thought to talk about walking the wall around the old city of Jerusalem, illustrating the talk with pictures uploaded onto my tablet computer. First task was to find a set of useful photos. As I rooted around my computer files, I found a really diverse set of photos of a visit to Masada, which, at that moment generated great memories. As Masada serendipitously presented itself, Masada was what I would talk about.

Masada

The Winding Path To + From Masada

After filtering the photos to a sensible number, I then got on with the task of researching a bit of  information for a personal commentary and also some written background within the length of a succinct blog post.

Masada Cable Car-Winding Path+ A Roman Encampment (far left)

In the middle of the preparation for my talk, I was having a conversation with someone at the electricity company. Those calls are never simple, and this one was no different. Some long time later, I was back to the presentation.  Time!  I had twenty minutes to get myself ready and to get copies of the document off the computer.  Whatever mistakes there were would just have to be....no time to proof-read, edit, etc, nor to have lunch. eeek!! I grabbed a ripe pear and dashed out of the house.

I arrived ten minutes after everyone else, though, as I was not expected I was greeted as a long lost friend. Having offered my efforts, my contribution was second. The talk went well, everyone was pleased to receive the typed presentation blurb, even with a few typing errors. My pictures of Masada and The Dead Sea were poured over, slowly, many questions were raised and I was asked what camera I used!  Anyway,  by the time my topic ended it was time for tea.

Gazing At The Dead Sea At Sunset (not me)

IS IT SERENDIPITOUS?

The excretions from a bird that is flying above, landing on your head, is said to be lucky; is it also serendipitous? It is not any of those things when the muck lands on the freshly washed laundry hanging outside on the line to dry, or, on a newly washed parked car. 

It raises the question of why some obscure events are said to be lucky, yet the same or similar happening is anything but desirable when occurring slightly differently.

 

One very wet day, when it was raining forceful tapfuls of water, someone asked me if it was as wet outside as my coat suggested. "If it’s there to see, yet is is", I said. In truth though, yes it was horribly wet outside, but I had walked under a fully laden hanging basket of flowers when I was going in one direction, and the darn thing plumped its own puddle of water onto my hooded head. On my return I walked as far out as possible to avoid said basket but it swung and plumped another puddle onto me. 

Now the question here is, was that serendipitous, or what?