Marlow's Musings 4/21/24
Insights, adventures and fun stuff from this week.
Audio narration by David Marlow
Something simple to consider on your Sunday from writer Erica Jong.
I went for years not finishing anything. Because, of course, when you finish something you can
be judged...I had poems which were re-written so many times I suspect it was just a way of
avoiding sending them out.
Here is someone whose books have sold tens of millions of copies and who, for years, kept her art incomplete to avoid judgment.
When we let go of judgment of ourselves and others, amazing things can happen, including no longer ‘feeling’ judged.
Spend some time with this simple insight today.
Word of the Week
Acuminate (adj)
(ə-ˈkyü-mə-nət)
to sharpen to a point
making a point
Acuminate has similar origins to acumen. Quickness of perception, keen insight, or being sharp in the sense of intelligence. I wish I had known this word when I was in school so I could have asked the teacher if I could acuminate (sharpen) my pencil.
In case you missed it…
This week’s Ikigai Thought for Today was Connections to Ikigai…
I share the lesson from a fun conversation my wife, and I had about our oldest grandson and the quirks that reveal our Ikigai.
Ikiquest+
This week's Coffee Contemplation is about examining contradictions.
In contrast and contradiction, music reveals its depth and beauty. With that in mind, here are two life contradictions I offered to ponder this weekend.
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Comment of the Week:
The comment of the week is David L on the Musing about my hospital stay as a boy and superheroes.
That one brought a tear to my eye.
Many of you commented or sent me messages saying something similar. When you write something, especially something personal like that one, you never know how it will be received or what it will mean to people. I’m thrilled that it touched so many. That’s what keeps me writing.
Quote I’m Pondering
This thought is from Richard Rorty…
"We spend a lot of time inventing people rather than noticing them, reshaping real people into characters in stories we tell ourselves about ourselves, stories about how beautiful and rare we are"
- Richard Rorty, Introduction to Pale Fire
Interesting Thing I Saw This Week
The Merton Feed Company is both the image I chose for this Musing and my interesting thing. I live in an area outside of a large city that becomes less rural by the year.
One of the fun things about there still being farms around is the need for a feed store. I love the look and feel of an established place like this.
Last year, I wanted to grow some broom corn with the grandkids. Broom corn or milo is what they make natural brooms from, and it grows a lot like corn. The seeds feed the birds as well. I could have bought a handful of seeds on Amazon for $20 or 50 pounds from a local small business for the same price and given the kids an even cooler experience. Guess which I did?
I still have enough for this year to plant more and to share with family and friends.
My most recent mission was to pick up 20 pounds of raw peanuts to put out for the white squirrel. I loaded the bag into my vintage PT Cruiser, and off I went.
Final Thoughts
This week, I have focused on finishing and putting a point on things. We finalized everything for our new roof and siding, which has been a whirlwind since the hailstorm damaged it. This week, we get the new roof, and I won’t miss having to climb up into the attic every time it rains to empty the bucket where the roof is leaking.
Financial planning, a project I’m working on, and post-winter outdoor stuff are all being finished. There were days when I’d have fussed and fumed to get it done in large part for the same reason Erica Jong didn’t finish hers: fear of judgment.
When we drop judgment, a whole world of possibility opens before us.
Quest well.
It's important to know that the most successful people also have self-doubt.
I recently quoted Dr. Bertice Berry: Imposters don't have imposter syndrome.
Setting unrealistic expectations is self-destructive. We all make mistakes, which is part of what makes us human.
For example, if I'm not mistaken, acuminate is a verb, not an adjective. (Forgive my sharpness.)