Marlow's Musings 9/10/23
Insights, adventures and fun stuff from this week.
Audio narration by David Marlow
My granddaughter accomplished something today that, though I’ve tried, I’ve never been able to do.
If you grow up in Indiana, you play basketball. It’s required by law. Well, not officially, though; it might as well be.
During basketball season, our local Boy’s Club was the center of my universe, with games or practices scheduled almost every evening after school.
When I was 11, my team made it to the city championship game. One game during that season set a tone for me for the rest of my athletic career.
Even at 11, I could leap, nearly touching the rim. Late in the first quarter, I went up for a rebound and was high in the air when an elbow hit me ‘right where it counts,’ as we used to say.
The referee blew his whistle as I crumpled to the ground, writhing in agony. As soon as I gathered myself, I went to the bench and waited for the coach to put me back into the game.
He never did.
Right then and there, the decision was made to never come out of a game again.
Never.
My son played college soccer, and in the off-season, he and some of his teammates would play indoor soccer to stay in shape.
Played in a hockey rink with artificial turf, indoor soccer is almost like another sport from the one played on a big field. It is nonstop running with constant play.
I watched a few of his games and commented that after only a few minutes of play, many players were walking instead of running. I said, “I could keep up with them.”
"You could," he said, "You should play next year."
Maybe I should.
The next season rolled around, and he asked if I was serious about playing. “Do older guys play?” Back then, I was in my late 40’s.
“Sure, lots of older guys play, and I have an open spot.”
What he didn’t mention until after I signed up was that, yes, older guys played. This was a 30-and-under league. Older 30-year-olds played along with college soccer players in their early 20s.
In the first few minutes of the first game, a teammate took a shot on the goal. As we all charged forward, the goalie misplayed the ball. It bounced back out, and one of my trailing teammates promptly kicked it as hard as he could toward the goal.
As fate would have it, I was positioned directly in the path of the ball. In my memory, I heard the smack against my head before feeling it.
The ref didn’t even blow the whistle. Everyone froze in place.
It was as if they thought, “Oh my gosh, the old guy has taken a hit!”
I hear this muffled sound, barely audible above the ringing in my ears, and slowly realize the referee is asking if I am okay.
Still on my feet, my eyes struggled to focus. The little I could see appeared to be in constant motion as if the world around me was oscillating.
“Me? Sure, I’m fine. Let’s play.”
This was the first soccer game I had ever played in my life. For many years, I coached my sons and daughter but never played.
Playing the game myself for the first time, I gained a whole new level of appreciation for what my son has dedicated himself to over the years. It's an insight I could never have obtained solely through coaching him.
It was one of the most physically demanding things I’d ever done.
Walking onto the field side-by-side, even briefly, gave me a profound respect for his journey and the passion he's poured into the sport. It drew us close as a father and son.
Despite the less-than-auspicious beginning, the ‘old guy’ acquitted himself quite well and, over the course of the season, won the respect of the younger players.
They tried desperately to get me my first goal, and despite their valiant efforts, I never scored one.
Today, I watched my granddaughter ‘C’ start her second season of soccer. Nearing the end of the game, she found herself in the right position and with a powerful boot from her left leg…
She scored her first goal!
Word of the Week
Passion: (n)
pas·sion /ˈpaSHən/
A strong and intense enthusiasm, desire, or love for something.
A thing arousing enthusiasm.
The Proto-Indo-European root meanings are "to care, desire, love" and '“to breathe’ as in to have life or become alive.
The many original meanings all have to do with strong emotions ranging from suffering to sexual desire and everything in between.
This Word of Purpose explores the risks and opportunities of ‘Passion.’
In case you missed it…
What in the world would a middle-aged baby boomer have to offer to an audience of young software programmers and start-up crypto entrepreneurs?
That’s what I wondered when they asked me to appear on the Greenpilled Podcast. As it turns out, we had quite a lot to talk about.
After the show, the host shared that people his age need this kind of wisdom, and he has made introductions with start-up companies that might benefit from working with me.
We touch on the deeper meaning of Ikigai and how to bring it to life and into the world of work.
You can watch or listen to the show below.
Ikiquest+
This week in Ikiquest+…I created these Coffee Meditations for Plus subscribers.
The first is another walking meditation where I shared some personal reflections from another book I’m reading. The theme is…
“You are under no obligation to remain the same person you were a year ago, a month ago, or even a day ago. You are here to create yourself continuously.”
In the second post, I take two divergent views and the themes from a recent podcast conversation to prompt a deeper reflection on life.
If you missed either of those, I invite you to check them out.
Quote I’m Pondering
“Competition can be an effective motivator, but don’t let it choose the problem for you; don’t let yourself get drawn into chasing something just because others are.
In fact, don’t let competitors make you do anything much more specific than work harder.
Curiosity is the best guide. Your curiosity never lies, and it knows more than you do about what’s worth paying attention to.”
Paul Graham
Comment of the Week:
The comment this week comes from Fred, who had some thoughts on the danger of ‘following your passion.’
A couple of thoughts:
1. "passion" oftentimes passion translates into "have to," a chore, drudgery.
2."passion" pulls you, almost compulsively, towards one's vision
I thought it added richness to the understanding of ‘Passion.’ There are many ways to express our purpose, and those ways can even change over time. We get too hung up on finding THE answer.
As Joseph Campbell said, “It is a waste to be asking the question when you are the answer.”
Thanks for the comment Fred!
Fun Thing I Saw This Week
A friend of mine has written a splendid new children’s book.
Beautifully illustrated and filled with positive life lessons for kids.
"Filmore, the Real Hungarian Sheepdog" Teaching Book Series.
Life lessons taught to 6-9-year-old kids, uniquely written as a primer for teachers with free instant downloadable teaching aids online.
It is about as Ikigai as it gets, so I’m sharing it here with you.
He's doing a Kickstarter for the whole series, though you can get the first book, Meet Filmore, on Amazon.
That’s my friend Dave and his real-life dog, the ‘author’ of the books.
Final Thoughts
As I shared last week, I’ve been experiencing a vorfreude, a joyful anticipation of the birth of our new grandson. Got to experience a week longer than I wanted.
Well, he has finally arrived.
Welcome to the world, Maverick!
Everyone seems to love his name, though now I may have to rename his teddy bear from Artos to Goose.1
🌀Quest well
You can learn more about Ikiquest+ here.
For Plus subscribers, you can access your Ikiquest+ resources here.
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Top Gun reference. The main character, Maverick, has a Radar Intercept Operator (RIO), named Goose.
Indoor soccer? You had me at hockey rink!
"Yeah, sure.. older guys play."
😂
This is why my most consistent outings are the 40 plus group on Sunday mornings.
I love your discussion on passion. Finally experiencing inclusion with something is vastly different from having been a follower for a long time. It ignites a drive in us, where the meaning can lock us in like a tow rope toward purpose.