Serendipity and stepping back

March 31, 2025

James G writes about flowers and trees:

“There is a joy to walking on a familiar path but in a new direction,” I thought as I walked to the botanic gardens. I enjoyed walking on the sunny side of the street as I ventured to a part of the city I don’t visit as often. With every step, I found delight in my surroundings: the independent galleries and bakeries, the blossoming tree growing from the basement garden typical of this part of town, the sight of people sitting outside drinking coffee.

The word what comes to mind is serendipity. I did the same thing the other day. We took the bus down to Madison Park. We ended up over at a new park near Madison Beach. It’s called Madison Park North Beach. There is not much other than two large trees, benches, flowers, and a swing set. You can access Lake Washington, if you don’t mind scrambling over boulders. It’s not so easy to cultivate spontaneity when you have lived in the same place for so long.

[photo from Cup of Jo]

This is why I enjoy reading and writing as it lends you an opportunity to stop back and reflect on what is going on and enjoy things as they are. Another blog I reach for when I need to step back from the bubble is Cup of Jo by Joanna Goddard. I’m certain it was this post from Jason Kottke where he shares the joy of reading the comment section on Cup of Jo.

She started it as a personal blog and has turned it into a site for women with a diverse and interesting group of contributors. However, the truly marvelous thing about Cup of Jo is the comments. That’s right, the comments. They are always good, often great, and occasionally sublime. Years and even decades after most websites have removed their comment sections for being toxic and unwieldy, Cup of Jo readers are in there delivering on the original promise of the web as a way to connect humans with one another by providing advice, reflections, stories, and support to each other.

I myself don’t read the comments too much but I find a certain joy in reading her blog. Like the right friend, reading a different blog outside of your normal bubble is like a breath of fresh air introducing you to places and ideas you may not have heard of. Much like my friend when we walked around Madison Park to settle on the swing sets sitting there not thinking of much except the warm sun on a carefree weekend.