#1 Where in the world?
Serendipity is often misunderstood as being a condition in which “things just happen”—good luck that occurs without any effort on our part. This mindset comes from wanting to experience the rewards of life without participating in the process.
Viewed from another mindset, serendipity is a combination of intention, action, and surprise. This viewpoint allows for the surprise of finding something good without looking for it AND requires us to put ourselves into the equation through intention and action.
So how does this relate to a photo of my book among tulips? I wrote Conscious Spending, Conscious Life because I had things to say. I intend to bring my ideas to the attention of as many people as possible. Amazon and other on-line sellers, local bookstores and libraries—these were my starting places.
In the process, I learned about three programs aimed at turning the world into a giant library: BookCrossing, Books on the Underground, and Little Free Libraries. Thanks to a number of my travelling friends, copies of Conscious Spending, Conscious Life have been set free to become part of the world library.
It tickles my imagination to think about how this action facilitates serendipity—putting copies of my book where people can unexpectedly come across them—in a cafe, on a seat in the London Underground, in a hostel, on a ferry, or who knows where…
You can probably guess where the tulip photo was taken. Here are a few more. Locations are identified at the end.
#2 Where in the world…
#3 Where in the world…
#4 Where in the world…
#5 Where in the world…
#6 Where in the world…
*7 Where in the world…
*8 Where in the world…
#9 Where in the world…
Here’s where…
With thanks to Nollind, Teresa, Patti, Maggie, David, Diane, and Keith for setting books free at these and many other far-flung places. The next one is headed for the Faroe Islands.
- Amsterdam, the Netherlands in the flower market
- Borrego Springs, California at the Pegleg Smith Monument
- London, England on the Underground
- Santa Fe, New Mexico at the Flying Star Cafe
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada in the front yard of a residence
- New York, NY on the subway
- Cambridge, England in the Caffe Nero
- New Mexico at City of Rocks State Park
- Tucson, Arizona at the Cafe Passe