Marlow's Musings 10/22/23
Insights, adventures and fun stuff from this week.
Audio narration by David Marlow
Buried Treasure: Uncovering an Insight
I have spent much of this week reminiscing about childhood memories for reasons explained in Final Thoughts.
One was of my grandmother, who had a coffee can full of buttons...just in case. I often went into her closet where she kept the can and ran my hands through the buttons like a pirate fondling gold doubloons.
Other times, I'd take them out one by one and look at them. Many were old and ornate. I don't recall ever needing a button that was retrieved from the cans. Still, they were there in the event we needed one.
I’m reminded of other treasures in that closet. An old top view camera, the kind where the image was upside down when you looked through the viewer.
It had this old leather case with a strap I would sling over my shoulder and use the camera like a tricorder from Star Trek.
She had another coffee can filled with silver Kennedy half-dollars she had saved because she admired President Kennedy.
I didn’t play with those, but I could count them whenever I wanted.
Her husband, my maternal grandfather, who died before I was born, was well-represented there. An old hard hat, ornate playing cards, slide puzzles, and I’m sure more, though I don’t recall.
Bringing anything out of the closet provided a story prompt, and she would regale me with the background and meaning of the object.
It wasn’t just the closet. I was welcomed in her room anytime. If she was reading before bed, I could interrupt and tell her goodnight. Or stay and talk about the day. Anything really.
I never once had to wonder if she loved me.
Writing often reveals hidden insights, and putting these memories on paper has given me a new one.
Looking back, I realize her room represented a place of peace and acceptance. I could be myself without a moment’s fear of judgment.
That was the real treasure.
I'm inspired to create something similar for my grandchildren in my home. Not a physical space per se.
My hope is to fill their lives with stories, treasures, and, most importantly, a space where they will never have to wonder if they are loved.
Word of the Week
Integrity
While I didn’t have a formal Word of Purpose post, this one explored integrity and living an integrated life. When we aren’t living in harmony with our essence and purpose, we risk ‘dis-integrating.’
In case you missed it…
I sat down with Christian Costazza a while back on his podcast, The Mindset Nurse, to talk about the value of Ikigai in healthcare professions.
We discussed ways nurses and other healthcare professionals can integrate the principles of Ikigai into their daily lives and careers.
It’s a fun and different take on how to enjoy a career filled with purpose.
On Apple podcasts
On Spotify
Ikiquest+
This week in Ikiquest+…In one of the most personal Coffee Contemplations yet, I share how the death of a friend gave me a greater sense of the urgency of Ikigai.
Plus, subscribers can check it out here.
Quote I’m Pondering
This from author Kelly Eileen Hake in her book Plots and Pans.
“Never approach a bull from the front, a horse from the rear, or fool from any direction.”
Comment of the Week:
The comment of the week comes from Tom, who was kind enough to send me several messages of encouragement. I share this one as a thank you for the many messages of love and support sent to me while I was ill.
I've been thinking of you with care and concern David. So happy to see your message today and to hear that you're beginning to feel better.
Fun Thing I Saw This Week
Alex Kurtev has assembled a list of 100+ lesser-known but valuable websites.
While I haven’t gotten to all one hundred, I’ve found several already that are useful.
Number 38 image remover was easy to use and didn’t require any logins or applications. Drag and drop an image and remove an object in seconds.
Number 93 Google tricks, several new insights and uses for Google, and associated apps that I wasn’t aware of or hadn’t tried.
Give it a go.
Final Thoughts
Yesterday marked the anniversary of a miraculous moment in my life.
My baby brother Paul was a happy, healthy husband and father of three. Then, life took an unexpected turn as he developed an autoimmune condition that suddenly and without warning started destroying his liver.
He was immediately placed on the transplant list and moved near the top shortly after.
Then the call came, and a liver was available. Bad news came soon after that the donor's liver wasn't viable.
Another near miss with another non-viable liver and then nothing.
Months and months of nothing.
Then, four years ago, on my late father's birthday, another call came, and this one was THE one. A liver had become available.
The doctors have told Paul this was a perfect liver for him, right down to the size of the connecting points.
He has returned to health, and I have my baby brother again.
He was so near death that doctors were ready to take almost any liver that was even a partial match.
And then the perfect one came.
If you are waiting for something to come along, hang on. There will be near misses and things that seem 'perfect' that don't work out.
Your miracle may be just around the corner.
Hang on.
🌀Quest well
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The miracle around the corner thought was a well timed good word for me today. Funny how those “near misses” contain some real gold and growth on the quest for what ends up being a perfect fit. Perhaps that wisdom is only available in hindsight, but it is there, ripe for the picking.
Thank you. This thought struck a chord this morning.