Sunny Side Up #12: On Serendipity
Happy accidents are everywhere!
This week I found myself eavesdropping on a strangers’ conversation. It wasn’t intentional: I was working in a quiet space and two women were walking through having what seemed to be a really wholesome chat. The first woman was talking about how nice her coffee was and then confessed that she was having the best day she’s had in a long while, ‘I don’t know why!’. Her friend replied,
‘Sometimes, the best days are when you wake up and you have no idea what’s going to happen.’
I immediately opened my notes app to jot that down. Everything is copy!
She’s right - it’s often the days that we wade through with no expectations that we find ourselves encountering serendipitous moments. If we’re always waiting for the big moments to provide our best memories, we’ll miss out on all the opportunities for unexpected joy in between. It also puts a great deal of pressure on those events to be perfect. I think this is why so many people end up crying on their birthdays or feeling stressed on Christmas. By attempting to craft the perfect day, we’re setting ourselves up for failure.
Sometimes, good days begin in disguise. Gloomy skies, spilled coffee, a delayed train. We never know when something wonderful is lurking just around the corner. Example - when I was eighteen, I did a week-long Shakespeare course. I’d had a great time, it was so much fun, I met some great people, and I learned a lot. At the end of the course, we had an external examiner come in and evaluate us. Long story short, she gave a number of us really negative feedback that had contradicted everything we’d learned that week. We were devastated, especially since we’d all worked so hard and had so much fun. Now I know that our choices just weren’t to the examiners taste, which is fine, but at the time I took it really hard. I decided to stop at Pret A Manger in the train station for a hot chocolate to make me feel better. There is no better feeling than a hot chocolate on the train on a cold winter evening. As I went up to the counter to pay, the baristas went into a frenzy. I couldn’t work out what was going on, but it turned out the kitchen had started to flood which was obviously really bad for them but good for me because they ended up giving me my hot chocolate on the house. Great! St Pancras is really the best place for serendipitous moments because the fun doesn’t end there.
My train ended up being cancelled because someone had thrown a shopping trolley on the line. This nearly sent me into a puddle of tears, but fortunately we were told that we could take the next train instead. The only problem was that this train now had double the amount of passengers on board. I was sat on the floor by the toilets, squished together with a group of strangers who looked equally as tired and uncomfortable as I was. This was not going to be a fun two hours... or so I thought. The steward found us and told us it was our lucky day - I thought he was being sarcastic, but he then boosted us all up to first class! We weren’t allowed to have the free scones and jam, but it was still the best train journey of my life. When I look back on that day, I don’t remember my disappointment, I just remember how lucky I felt by the end of it.
As I write this, it is Saturday morning. I have been grumpily fighting a cold all week and feel extremely disappointed that I’ve had to cancel my plans. We’ve got torrential rain; it sounds like thunder on the roof. It’s not what I had planned for the last August Bank Holiday, but sometimes life has other ideas for us.
A text from my friend Liza has just lit up my phone. One of the reasons I’m feeling so grumpy is because I still haven’t seen her since she got back from visiting family in Sicily. If you know Liza, you know she’s serotonin personified. This message is the most Liza text ever, and it just fits so perfectly with this piece.
She sent me a photo of her cappuccino. I asked her if she’d taken herself out for the day, if she’d gone for a walk this morning, which is one of her favourite things to do. She said yes - you can read the text for yourself below:
Just because we’re not anticipating something special doesn’t mean it won’t happen. There’s quite a focus these days on life being controlled and curated, but we need to leave room for surprises, or even keep an open mind that things might change. Liza went for a walk and it was chucking it down with rain. How lucky that she stumbled across a gorgeous cafe to drink her cappuccino and watch the rain fall! Even though my week hasn’t gone to plan, Liza’s message reminded me that good things aren’t far away. We just need to be open to happy accidents, and wake up every morning knowing that today could be the day.
‘I think we make our own decisions, I just think that fate sends us little signs and it’s how we read the signs that determines whether we’re happy or not.’
Serendipity (2001)
I’d love to hear about your own serendipitous experiences! Let me know in the comments ❤️
This week was very much about the small moments.
LISTENING | To one of my best friends on the radio!! Beth is such a natural, and she has the most eclectic taste in music. Thank you for the shoutout Beth, and for playing a little bit of Wham and Taylor <3
ACCEPTING | This is my final Animal Bar. Apparently they’ve been discontinued. Prior to eating this I went through all the stages of grief.
MUNCHING | This is a - wait for it - WHIPPLE SCRUMPTIOUS FUDGE MALLOW BROWNIE. Who came up with that?! 10/10. It was delicious, but I’d expect nothing else from a brownie with such a magnificent title. We also treated ourselves to a takeaway pizza on Thursday night which is a rare occurrence, but a joyous one nonetheless.
BOOK SHOPPING | I really don’t need any more books but I have no self-restraint which is why I picked up a copy of Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi.
how do i want to spend my time on earth? by
- Stunning, as per usual. I read this and immediately began to reflect on my own life, what I love about it, what I’d change, and the importance of accepting life for what it is.Living the Nancy Meyers Dream: Why TikTok Can’t Get Enough by
- I love Nancy Meyers, and completely relate to this perspective. Also, I want a Nancy Meyers kitchen.The case for dressing up your life by
- Olivia’s writing is perfect here - “the more intentional I am, the better I feel.” I completely agree with everything she said - making the mundane special is how I get through.there is something beautiful about airports, no? by
- I can’t remember if I’ve already included this piece in the past so I’m putting it here just in case. This is one of my favourite things Madeline has written. She perfectly captures the in-between nothingness of airports, such a specific feeling and environment.Saying Goodbye for the Better by
- Ciara is quickly becoming one of my favourite writers on here. Definitely subscribe to if you haven’t already!Emily In Paris - It’s Not That Deep! by
- this is what we all need to hear. Sometimes we just need a little bit of fun, a little bit of escapism. Sometimes we need Emily to make us feel better about our own lives.
A little bonus this week! I spent a lot of time after work and over the weekend under a blanket under the influence of broncho-stop, which meant I watched a lot of movies. Here’s everything I watched this week. They were all fantastic, with immaculate cosy vibes suitable for late summer and autumn so add them to your Watchlist if you’ve not seen them.
It’s Complicated (2006) - You simply cannot go wrong when you’re dealing with Meryl Streep AND Nancy Meyers. We even have Steve Martin who I just love in everything whether he’s playing Tom Baker or Charles Haden Savage. This movie will make you want freshly baked chocolate croissants.
Serendipity (2001) - Watched this after writing my first draft of this article. It’s deffo Christmas vibes, but I’m not picky. Two strangers decide to put fate to the test after a night of perfect romance.
Something’s Gotta Give (2003) - There’s a Nancy Meyers theme here, I don’t know if you’ve noticed. The crying montage is my favourite part. And also Keanu Reeves, which brings me to…
The Lake House (2006) - I watched this YEARS ago but thought I’d made it up. Thank goodness it’s a real movie. It was my favourite one that I watched this weekend.
The Intern (2015) - Anne Hathaway you will always be famous.
Love At First Sight (2023) - This is such a cute movie, and it has Jameela Jamil in it! I’m so glad she delved into acting, it really suits her.
Love :)
Loved loved loved this, Ella. Your writing is a real joy!