I finally started my journey.

        If you ever ask me I would say I am not a fan of fantasy or science fiction type things, but the more I think about it, I love Doctor Who and Harry Potter so I guess I am a liar. Then as this realization hit me I started to question why I was always adverse to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Well, I started on that journey with The Hobbit and was not disappointed.

       The story is one of dwarves, hobbits, elves, dragons and just about anything else you can think of for a magical creature. It is a journey of epic proportion by the most literal of definitions. The Hobbit is the story of Bilbo Baggins,  the contented, quiet, unambitious hobbit who lives in his hobbit hole and has no intentions of being anything other than the mindful and unremarkable steward of the earth that he is. Then one day the great wizard Gandalf comes to his door and enlists him into a mission that will test his resolve, skill, intellect and honor. Bilbo is accompanied by thirteen dwarves on the journey to recover the lost treasure from the dragon Smaug. On their journey they find all kinds of trouble and pit falls each requiring a combination of creative solutions and not a fair amount of luck to save them. They journey far and wide in their quest until they finally encounter the fire breathing Smaug and commence in battle for their treasures.

      The genius of this Tolkien tale is that it is so fantastical you feel as if you are a small child again being read a story aloud. It really has a nostalgic quality that is hard to find in other narratives. What I also love about The Hobbit is that within the blazing action and fantastic imagery is a very real tale of courage. Bilbo doesn't think he can achieve the things Gandalf says he can. He doesn't think he is anything special and certainly cannot be the right hobbit for the job. But along the way we see him transform into a hero of the tale and find within himself an adventurous spirit that would otherwise have been suppressed in the banality of complacency. Within us all is a person we don't exactly recognize but we know is there and who can only come to fruition when we step outside our comfort zone and take a chance on something. Gandalf helps Bilbo in that regard but maybe you are sitting there, like I am, with the nagging suspicion in the back of your mind that you were made for something more, capable of being great, with an unfulfilled destiny in your blind spot. This tale in its parabolic ways can encourage you on that road. You don't need a magical wizard to show up at your door to spur you on, you need only believe it is possible and that you have or can acquire the skills needed to make your story epic.

     Whether you're hunting down lost treasure, taking a chance on love, jumping out of planes, making plans for a move, or just dreaming of a life that could be, always remember that there is nothing wrong with being your own hobbit comfy in your hobbit hole with your routine hobbit life, unless you have that fire burning that proves you want something more. If that is case I encourage you friends to become your own Gandalf and believe in yourself whole heartedly and make it happen. You may only have this chance and no treasure was ever found by just thinking on it.

Good luck on your journey. Pray you make it epic.