It’s okay to be a hobbit!

When wizard Gandalf presents Bilbo Baggins as the last member of the dwarf company in Tolkein’s story, he faces resistance because the dwarves don’t think Bilbo’s up to the task. Neither does Bilbo! After all, he can’t fight. He can’t fend for himself in the wild.

Gandalf settles the debate by pointing out one quality: “Hobbits are remarkably light on their feet. In fact, they can pass unseen by most, if they choose.”

And as it turns out, the traits that made him such an unexpected choice become the ones that allow him to aid, sometimes even save, his company. Most of all it’s the fact that, most of the time, no one cares about a hobbit passing by.

The point for you and me is that’s it’s okay to be a hobbit. To most people we always will be. We will go unnoticed, and that’s exactly how it should be. It’s how we manage to live in a world too vast to comprehend.

Going unnoticed is freedom, not misery. We don’t have to be an elf, constantly commanding the full attention of every room we enter. We’ll be much happier being a hobbit, minding our own business, going about our day, as we please, doing the best we can.

And if we ever feel discouraged, remember that even Gandalf thought their lightness was far from the end of their potential: “You can learn all that there is to know about their ways in a month, and yet, after a hundred years, they can still surprise you. Hobbits are amazing creatures.”

And so are we!

It’s expensive to be poor

It’s probably because I’m working on my tax returns that I’m more sensitive to the contrast between expensive and cheap, between well off and poor. And I have to admit that I feel fortunate that I haven’t really had to struggle with poverty. But my awareness of the extreme differences in our society has been […]

from a kid’s view…

In honor of this month’s focus on ‘meaningful’ relationships, this post shares some fun statements youngsters have made about love and marriage! HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHOM TO MARRY? You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff. Like, if you like sports, she should like it that you like sports, and she should […]

Are you wintering?

Here’s a thought-provoking word: wintering. I enjoyed reflecting on Katherine May’s words in my recently-read Wintering: the Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times. She describes it as those moments when life turns cold through crisis or loss and we find ourselves living at a different, slower pace. Wintering is a process by which […]

Let Go?!

There’s many a lesson I’m still learning, and this is one of them! LETTING GO(D) doesn’t mean not caring, it means not taking responsibility for someone else. LETTING GO(D) doesn’t mean cutting myself off from others, it means realizing that I can’t control others. LETTING GO(D) doesn’t mean caring for, it means caring about. LETTING […]

Skating on thin ice?

When I’m experimenting with something new, I’m often a bit tentative, not sure that what I’m messing around with is solid enough to hold the full weight of my being. In times like these, I picture myself standing on the edge of a frozen body of water, asking “Is this ice thick enough to hold […]

This crazy language of ours

Ah, the delightful quirks of the English language-a language with so many rules and far too many exceptions. But English was invented by people, not computers. It reflects the creativity of the human race which, of course, is not a race at all. After all, there is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger, […]

a different serenity prayer!

We all may know the basic Serenity Prayer, but have you see some of the tweaked ones? Here are some…and you may know of others! My favorite one (which I couldn’t find an image for) is… “God, grant me the serenity to accept there are things I’ve no time to read, time to read the […]

A blank calendar…

I love putting up a brand new calendar! As I look at the pictures and the day the holidays and my birthday will fall on, I love seeing all the white spaces. Each square is ready and waiting for me to write in whatever I want. Before we begin filling in those white spaces, we […]

Revised Christmas to-do list!

Here’s my suggested revised list for the season! BUY PRESENTS (be present!) 2. WRAP GIFTS (wrap someone in a hug) 3. SEND GIFTS (send love) 4. SHOP FOR FOOD (donate food) 5. MAKE COOKIES (make memories) 6. SEE THE LIGHTS (be the light) Blessings to everyone this holiday season!