Serendipity and brokering connections

I sent in a proposal for a conference that will take place in Cork City, Ireland, and I am hopeful that it will be accepted. Many of the participants are people I've met or want to meet, and I have never been to Ireland! I only found out about the conference because I happened to see a flyer next to the elevator in a building I don't usually go to, but where I had gone to attend a workshop. Serendipity! one of the organizers has written a book on a topic on which I have written as well, and we would like to meet each other, so I have some hopes that this will work out.

I also received word today that a project I helped someone else put together has been funded, and we will be able to go ahead with some really exciting plans. The idea was not mine, and I did not write the proposal, but I had a lot of ideas, and institutional connections or suggestions for connections to the person who was situated to do that work. I like the combination of effort in which I get to blather on excitedly about things that interest me, and someone else figures out the budget and does the dirty work of writing the proposal.

Another local networking project is coming together in almost the same way: I was walking into my building and a woman struck up a conversation. We realized we had a lot of ideas in common, and now, half a year later, we convened a meeting in which we are creating a partnership between my unit and a public school that we hope will connect volunteers to the school in meaningful ways. It is true that perseverance has helped in all of these efforts, but it seems to me that there is also some kind of sheer cosmic luck and alignment of the planets going on right now.