Sometimes little special moments crop up at inconvenient times, when it doesn't fit our schedules to stop and enjoy them. I had a situation like this last week. I was running late to my car pool. I needed to get my kids to the sitter and get going to work. I had just gotten everyone herded out to the car when my youngest said, "Look, balloons!"
At that moment, I had a choice. I could say, "That's-nice-now-get-in-the-car." Some days I do. This day, I ran back into the house and got a camera. There were four hot air balloons that appeared to be landing at an airfield near our house. I took a few moments to enjoy them with my kids and snapped some photos. Then I stuffed the camera into my purse, and off we went.
Fast forward to the evening, when I finished work. I work in the center of a large building. Whether I am at my desk or in the cleanroom, I generally cannot see a window. This day was not uncommon; I had worked 9 or 10 hours without stopping for breaks or lunch. When I first step outside into the parking lot, it is such a release to see the outdoors again. We have a beautiful campus (I really should take more breaks). I often see some scene that just seems breathtakingly beautiful and think, I wish I had a camera.
Well, this time I did have a camera! I took some photos of the way the light was slanting across a dry field and through a copse of trees.
If I hadn't stopped to enjoy the balloons with my kids, I wouldn't have had the camera to capture this scene after work. Two happy moments for the price of one :)
Have you had any moments of serendipity? I'd love to hear about it.