Marlow's Musings 3/17/24
Insights, adventures and fun stuff from this week.
Audio narration by David Marlow
The saguaro cactus grows naturally only in a small area of Arizona and northwestern Mexico. Glimpsing them line the hills above Tucson had become a yearly ritual for me. My late father wintered in Tucson, and visits to see him always included time hiking in the desert.
Even among the unique saguaro is an even rarer find. The crested Saguaro, like the one in the picture above, I witnessed myself on a hike in Sabino Canyon.
Only 1 in every 200,000 saguaro exhibits the crested crown. There are just over 3,000 documented crested cacti in the world.
Discovering and documenting those rare finds is a small group of people who call themselves the Crested Saguaro Society.
These ten people have a passion for the Sonoran Desert's most uncommon plant.
The Wall Street Journal called them a ‘secret society’ because group membership is limited, and the locations of the finds are kept hidden to protect from potential poachers or vandals.
One member estimated they had spent eight hours a day, twice a week, for six years on the search.
Why would someone do this?
Most are retired from careers and follow the Ikigai principle of never retiring from doing and being.
Ikigai is about experiencing your essence and purpose in harmony with whatever you do.
Ikigai is more than a career. The members of the Crested Saguaro Society are a unique example of living that out.
Word of the Week
Tantivy (n & adv.)
/tanˈtivē/
1: At full speed or a fast gallop
Dating from the 1640s, it is rarely used today, though I think we should bring it back into our vocabulary.
In case you missed it…
This week’s Ikigai Thought for Today was Enjoying a Winter Sun…
Apricity is derived from the Latin word apricus and means the warmth of the winter sun. It is an ancient word that helps us appreciate the seasonality of life and connect to our Ikigai.
Ikiquest+
This week’s Coffee Contemplation for Ikiquest+ subscribers was The Beginner's Mind
Ikiquest+ subscribers can listen to it in audio narration or read the transcription.
If you aren’t yet an Ikiquest+ Subscriber, give it a try for free by clicking the box here.
Comment of the Week:
The comment of the week comes from Malka on the recent Coffee Contemplation The Three Virtues of Ikigai…Humility, Curiosity, and Grace.
Yes, indeed. Imagine how our societies would be if we were actually interested in hearing other people, learning how they see things, how they feel.
Awareness of one's basic, immutable value as a human being, increases our ability or willingness to hear others. So many people don't have that, are always on guard and defensive.
Part of our collective quest is helping ourselves, and others, feel safe enough in who we are to know there is room for others, too.
To the many people who commented or sent me notes wishing my grandson ‘E’ a happy birthday I say thank you for joining me in celebrating one of the highlights of my life.
Quote I’m Pondering
This thought is derived from Frank Herbert, the author of Dune…
“The people I distrust most are those who want to improve our lives but have only one course of action in mind.”
Final Thoughts
I’m adding the interesting thing I saw this week to my final thoughts. Driving through the open spaces in Indiana this week, I spotted what, at first, I thought was a bald eagle flying overhead.
Disappointed, I took a moment and prayed that on my long drive, I would spot one.
An hour or so later, in the middle of an empty field that would be full of corn in a few months, sat two bald eagles on the ground in plain view, and a third was flying just above them.
After another hour of driving, I spotted a fourth flying low to the ground. An otherwise tedious drive through an all-too-familiar stretch suddenly became filled with blessings.
Would I have noticed if not for setting my intention to want to see one? Would there have been any to see had I not prayed?
The answers I leave to you.
Quest well.
Interesting of prayer and to whom and how does that fit into ikigai…Ikigai is a journey within oneself yet has no claim of a true destination. As noted by S. Augustine that our heart is restless until it rests in thee!