Marlow's Musings 4/7/24
Insights, adventures and fun stuff from this week.
Audio narration by David Marlow
We often take for granted the beauty of this world. It's a peculiarly human trait; the more often we see the things around us, the more they become invisible.
We do this even with the beautiful things: the flowers, the trees, the birds, the clouds - even the people we love.
I've been driving by the marsh for nearly thirty years, usually in a rush on my way to work. Over the years, I’ve noticed ducks, geese, and even beavers building a dam for a couple of seasons.
Because I saw this so often, I began to see it less and less until I hardly noticed it at all.
Then I quit noticing.
It was raining when I left the house; we'd had nothing but grey days for a week. I'd become accustomed to the grey, so when there was a burst of sunshine as I drove past the marsh, something in the distance caught my attention.
A gorgeous rainbow had appeared. That’s it in the picture above.
I pulled over and sat there until the rainbow faded. The urgency that prompted my drive evaporated. All that mattered was to be fully in the moment, embracing the beauty I'd been ignoring.
What didn't fade was my awareness of this spot. This served as the proverbial wake-up call for me. Now I'm mindful of it each time I drive by and often stop to soak in a bit of the beauty.
It's a fantastic spot, changing every day. This is what it often has looked like in winter.
Part of living into our Ikigai is being present and appreciating the beauty surrounding us. Think about something or someone beautiful in your life that you haven't 'noticed' for a while and…notice them.
Another reason to notice those beautiful things is they don’t always last. I drove by the marsh yesterday, which prompted my musing today.
This section of the marsh changed dramatically in the past year with a burst of growth from the cattails. Accessible views of the water are obscured, and for now, they are available only in my memory.
Word of the Week
Ruthful (adj)
(rooth•fuhl)
compassionate, sorrowful, and regretful.
causing or likely to cause sadness or pity.
Ruthful is essentially the opposite of ruthless. It means having pity, compassion, or remorse. You can use it as a noun by saying "ruth" as you would the word remorse.
In case you missed it…
This week’s Ikigai Thought for Today was A Place of Potential…
There is an ideal, a dream, a grand design. Most things and systems made by humans fall short of that intention.
Yet there is beauty and potential in this place humans call home if we are open and willing to see and hear what is not easily seen or heard.
And a quick idea about our ‘To Do’ lists. This is the format I used with Your Daily Ikigai when the posts were short and daily before the newsletter became Ikiquest. If you like this kind of quick ponderance, let me know, and I might bring them back on occasion.
Ikiquest+
This week’s Coffee Contemplation for Ikiquest+ subscribers was Twist and Turns
I explore something that I've been reflecting on this week, something a long-time friend told me a while back.
“Don't be ashamed of your story. God rarely leads in a straight line.”
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 is actually a conversation between Alivyana and Michael as they discussed the ‘Place of Potential’ post. I’ll share a snippet from one of Michael’s to give you a taste while encouraging you to check out the entire conversation.
“I see life as a tapestry. Only we are currently on the back side, where everything is knots and cut ends. The beauty comes when we finally reach the other side.”
The marvelous exchange between Alvyana and Michael is exactly the kind of community and conversation I hope my sharing creates.
Quote I’m Pondering
This thought is from Thomas Sowell…
“Nothing has been more common in history than for victims to become oppressors when they gain power.”
Interesting Thing I Saw This Week
The Cosmic Eye…This is based on the original landscape-format version of the short movie Cosmic Eye, designed by astrophysicist Danail Obreschkow. This video takes these historical visualizations to the state of the art using real photographs obtained with modern detectors, telescopes, and microscopes. Other views are renderings of modern computer models creating a seamless zoom.
It is a fun and awe-inspiring reminder of the miracle of our reality.
Check it out.
Final Thoughts
Life has been in utter chaos these past few weeks. Yet, in the middle of this chaos, there have been blessings and peace. Things I have longed for in my life for decades are coming to pass.
Much like the marsh, it is easy to miss the beautiful things that become ‘common’ in our lives. It is just as easy to miss the new blessings that fuse with the chaos of things going wrong.
This week I was reminded to embrace both kinds of beauty and blessing. When I do, there is peace.
Quest well.
Letting the uniqueness of a small spot of land halt us is an act of compassion. Those who plow through their surroundings every day without notice become ruthless. With themselves, creation, and each other. Finding what awe there is around us will keep us grounded (literally), humble, compassionate.
Beautiful, David.
Sometimes it takes a rainbow, or some other special phenomenon to make us take notice of what we have right in front of us, David. Thanks for the reminder.