Marlow's Musings 7/9/23
Insights, adventures and fun stuff from this week.
audio narration by David Marlow
A Life Well Lived
Reflecting this week on the passing of a beloved uncle.
Like all such events, there was joy in the midst of the sadness.
Something Steven Pressfield wrote in his book, War of Art came to mind.
"Our job in this life is not to shape ourselves into some ideal we imagine we ought to be, but to find out who we already are and become it.”
Of course, he is not talking about becoming an engineer, doctor or any other job. Those are just specific expressions of who we are deeper inside.
Without using the word, he is talking about your Ikigai. If you couldn't use your profession to describe yourself, what would you say you do?
My uncle 'did' lots of things. After serving in the Navy he was a teacher, a missionary who built schools, a salesman, and a host of other jobs.
He was also a marvelous neighbor, frugal to the point of absurdity, and a master storyteller.
A great people watcher one of his favorite sayings was, "Hide in the woods and watch', which was to say observe more than talk.
What struck me throughout the weekend of recollection was how much at peace with himself he was throughout his life.
He didn't much worry about what anyone thought of him. Not in an arrogant self-righteous way but rather a level of acceptance.
He granted others that acceptance as well which is what I appreciated about him most. He loved me because I was my dad's son, his nephew. I was enough.
He passed away doing something he loved; picking wild asparagus on a nice sunny day.
If our job is to find out who we already are and become it, my uncle did that 'job' well.
Word of the Week
aporia (n.)
From Greek…difficulty, perplexity, want of means.
In rhetoric, professed doubt as to where to begin.
Original from the Greek poros meaning “a journey, passage, way;” Latin portus "port, harbor," originally "entrance, passage;” Old Church Slavonic pariti "to fly;" Old English faran "to go, journey,"
When have you been in difficulty, perplexed, and professing doubts as to who you are, where you should go, and what you should do?
Think back to those times and recall what it felt like and what you did to get beyond it.
Can you take steps like that now?
Perhaps you are there today and can’t see your way clear.
Dig deep into that doubt and embrace that sense of aporia as the starter fuel for the fire of purpose in your life.
Embrace it, be grateful for it, and then keep going. Try, test, explore, and learn.
🌱 It is the beginning of the greatest journey of your life.
Ikiquest+
This week in Ikiquest+…
Many have reached out to share they love to listen to the audio of my posts while enjoying their morning coffee.
I decided to make it a regular offering and created two audio morning meditations this week for Plus subscribers.
This will become a regular part of Ikiquest+!
Cheers!
Fun Thing I Came Across This Week
Custom Hard Cover Notebook by Denik
Last week I shared about JetPens and their impressively comprehensive list of the best pens for almost any writing purpose.
One of my favorite reasons to write is journaling, especially in a fabulous notebook.
Denik makes excellent custom notebooks that have ultra-thick paper and are made for your favorite pencil, pen, or marker.
Here’s the kicker. You get to design the cover, choose the style, and at a reasonable price.
Don’t tell my wife but she’s getting one for Christmas. Shhh!!!
Comment of the Week: Is that your voice?
This past week for a host of reasons I won’t go into here, I placed the audio narration at the top of the posts.
🎙️ From the reaction, it seems I should have been doing that all along.
Dozens of people reached out to say various versions of, ‘love your voice, keep doing the audio’ though my favorite came in a voice message from B.B. who was shocked that the audio recording wasn’t AI.
“I thought all the newsletter audio recordings were AI-generated. Then I listened to yours today and that amazing voice comes on. Is that your voice? That IS your voice. I can’t believe that is your voice!”
It is my voice and needless to say while blushing as much as an old Marine can, I plan to keep sharing audio whenever possible.
Final Thought:
You may have noticed there was only one Word of Purpose post this week.
I hope to do as many as three a week going forward. This week however I was heads-down on a couple of projects for Ikiquest that are going to change everything!
Exciting announcements coming soon. Can’t wait to tell you all about it.
Quest well!
You can learn more about Ikiquest+ here.
For Plus subscribers, you can access your Ikiquest+ resources here.
Need help creating your Ikiverse? Explore 1-on-1 coaching here.
Great example of love from your uncle! We pray that our life can contribute a positive addition to all we meet, know and engage with. Pax, Lux et Amor Veritas IHS
Not worrying about what anyone thinks of us. Not in an arrogant self-righteous way but rather a level of ACCEPTANCE.
"Where do I even begin??"
We do well to remember that this frustrated exclamation ends in a?. That implies curiosity. "Use it as the starter fuel"
Awesome, David!