For years, my partner and I talked about taking a trip to Japan. We had already written it off for this year again. Then, a friend mentioned he found cheap flights. We checked again and saw an opportunity, so we ran with it.
Everything turned out pretty random. The fact that we booked the trip to begin with. Our flight date. The time. We also flew to Osaka instead of Tokyo because it was cheaper that way.
But all randomness is nothing where fate wants to play, and so, sure enough, my friend Tom ended up waving at us right after the final customs check. A few weeks earlier, during dinner, we had discovered that Tom, too, was flying to Japan—on the same day and 10 minutes before our flight. It was a nice surprise. The three of us had a coffee and a chat. Even our gates were only a few minutes apart.
In one of his books, Morgan Housel shares a great lesson about why you really want your car to have airbags, even if you never intend to use them. The gist is that chance works in funny ways, for example by adding up across different areas in ways you don’t expect.
Coincidence is more common than you think. Don’t be surprised at being surprised. Just enjoy the surprises themselves, and believe more beautiful things are coming your way.
