Step 1 Invite
Last night I saw that it would be very nice weather next day and I decided to choose a workspace in the flowering cherry yard of seats4silence. I felt like co working and posted a invitation on twitter to find people to join me.
Marloes
Marloes, who doesn’t follow me, saw my tweet by #s2m and joined. She had just been thinking of going to work in nature and the tweet seemed a nice coincidence to her.
Step 2 Open space Seats4silence de Ster
When I arrived the location was closed and I contacted the owner Hanke who stayed her last night in New York. She apt her friend Sandrina to open the place and left us self-supporting with the key, coffee, tea etc. Money we can leave in a old fashioned little can. As guests we can host next visitors.
Step 3 Meet
Marloes and I started to get to know each other a bit. Marloes helps people to get more relaxed by bringing them to beautiful places in nature. She offers tastings and programs in the Achterhoek and Portugal where people can load their battery in an natural way. Soon we discovered that its interesting to work together.
Frans
Then the next one jumped over the hedge into the orchard. Frans came to prepare the place for a big 6 meter long table, which is made from one piece from one tree. He also takes care of the cherry trees.
Fred
Afterwards Fred came by. He wanted to photograph the beautiful blossoms we were working under and was very surprised about our working setting. Nature is also his favourite, he writes and takes pictures to share his love. Especially coming back after he already passed the place and changed his mind to take time for a wonderful shoot.
Wim
Finally Wim came by. He made an extra curve in his route to find a place where he can celebrate his 30th wedding anniversary later this year. I think he fast decided after he felt very welcome and I told him how wonderful the cooking of Hanke is. After we also discovered Wims dream is to start a care farm and that he could be one of the partners in my latest project.
Step 4 Serendipity by welcoming each other
All of us ended up drinking coffee together, sharing our love for being outside, the possibilities to help people to feel more happy and to work together. For all of us it was a wonderful experience of serendipity. All being unexpectedly very relevant for each other. As Wims grandma always said: “It happens where it has to be.” Which means, where people are, more people come.
“It happens where it has to be.”
Do it your self
How easy to let happen a spontaneous meeting, which started with one tweet only, less than 24 hours before publishing of this story.
Now I very much invite you to try it yourself. Find some friends and strangers and go on a certain time to one of our seats4silence locations. See what happens and share your story in this magazine. Or give your ideas for inviting serendipity in the comment box below.
Photos: Fred Geers
