Happenstance is defined as a chance encounter. A surprise or unplanned event. Something spontaneous. As you wander through your day how much of your interaction is planned and how much is by chance? Life works best when you have an order in which you act and planned action is not happenstance. Do you see where I am headed? Putting your things in order is logical and operating within the perimiter of your aligned goals is most efficient but lacks spontanaiety. Life is nothing more than happenstance unless you have prearranged things. Naturally you will have planned excursions and vacations but when happenstance intervenes are you adaptive or bewildered? Often you will meet strangers and unusual settings but can you enfold that spontineaty into your program? Living life by routine is boring and tends towards lack of ingenuity. By the same thought doing things on the spur of the moment can still occur while within a set program. School children do this frequently. They have a lesson plan and they will follow this plan but the students will also interject spontaneous questions and observances. That will be part of the lesson plan. Planned happenstance? Nope, that would be an oxymoron. A good lesson plan would have established pointers for students to follow so as to provide life and animation of the student. Some of my best classes in school were those that allowed free expression within a somewhat controlled enviroment. Variance would be steered and still allow for discovery. Discovery is an unknown that cones to light. While discovery is happenstance by nature yet it is a planned outcome in the classroom. Easiest to say then that discovery is an anticipated outcome of a planned series of actions. That is best described by describing a football game. The players operate off a series of prepared plans with a goal to be attained. No happenstance allowed but then there are turn overs and fumbles, alla part of the game but often planned to try to happen by the oppossing team. Imitation happenstance? No, just programed mishaps that usually have occurred by one players unexpected actions again another players movement. Happenstance. Quite the unexpected but apart of the total experience. So, happenstance is the light shining for a brief moment on one person’s glory but anothers defeat.I can live with that. Better if I am in glory but in defeat I will still achieve a moment of knowledge. Even a fumble can teach you how to better hold a ball. Happenstance, then, becomes a teacher as well as mentor. If you learn the difference between good and bad while still within the guidelines you are ok. Good luck and have a happenstance day.