A Hobbit's Tale

A long time ago, I decided to leave my home in the Shire.  It was too comfortable. I dreamed of far away places.  There were so many adventures just waiting beyond the borders.

"If I take one more step, it'll be the farthest away from home I've ever been." 

So I did the proper thing.  I waited my youth out.  I went to school and got my education.  When I graduated, I moved away from my people.  And I missed them.

I missed the closed and safe borders of her community. The comfort of pumpkin pies and snowy skies. The named forests and hills that are not on a "proper" map.  And yet something else called me out yonder pass the Brandywine river.  Pass the comforts of food and familiarity.

“Home is behind, the world ahead,

and there are many paths to tread

through shadows to the edge of night,

until the stars are all alight.”

The truth is I never fit in.  Most people are content with what is.  I had too many questions and I was different.  Realizing at an early age that I cannot change what is, I left my Shire. Why should one want to go outside of their comfort zone?  And yet I am hobbit.  I like comfort.  I like familiarity.  It feels good. I am connected to those forests and hills that carry the memories of my loved ones both present and gone.  But I feared comfort and complacency.  When I return home to the Shire, I see not much has changed in habit or attitude. And I also know that I made the right decision years ago.  But it's never easy.  The Shire makes me forget about the outside world. People tend their garden, raise their family, go to work like most I suppose, but it's different. It's safe.

When something is disagreeable, it's different.  It can be a cold place.  The people's faces are hard. The world is changing and it has changed the stubborn Shire against her will.  All the work has gone elsewhere. The factories are shut.  The farms are corporations. And yet some family businesses remain but they too dwindle as their children leave for elsewhere.

I carry the Shire inside of me every day by retelling the tales of my youth. Children made chestnut necklaces and played in their front yards without having to worry about some Orc trying to harm them. There seem to be more and more Orcs everywhere these days. The Shire is still a place of "hellos" and friendly conversation.  A pub to share an ale or two with a complete stranger while smoking some pipe-weed. No matter how many times I tell them that smoking is bad for them, they "huff" me off and ignore me.  Therefore I no longer lecture.  I move myself out of the room.

Slowly the Shire withers away as the population decreases. But still tradition remains in full force.  An ale for a thought. Fried cheese curds for a snack. A pumpkin pie for dessert. Followed by more food.  Because eating is the way of my people. In the Shire, we celebrate with 6 meals. Breakfast, Second Breakfast, Elevensies, Luncheon, Afternoon Tea, Dinner, and Supper

And so I left the Shire my 8th grade year of school.  I went to the mountains and canyons of the great West. It was scary and exciting. I knew from that time forward, I would travel the world.  It was also on that trip, I lost one of my best childhood friends.....my Grandfather. He was only 57 years old. Today I carry his wedding ring as a reminder that life is short.  It is not a burden.  It's a reminder to live.

Time passed quickly as I had to leave soon for the Western world again. 

As a child, I always connected to Bilbo and Frodo the most.  During one of our great hobbit meals, we recollected times past.  Some understood the adventures.  Some dreamed of those adventures. Most were glad they hadn't known the far away places I've visited.  And it reminds me that I am alone on this journey.  The greater world my own personal treasure. My quiet reflection. 

“How do you pick up the threads of an old life? How do you go on, when in your heart, you begin to understand, there is no going back? There are some things that time cannot mend. Some hurts that go too deep...that have taken hold.”

 And yet, the Shire is my home.  No matter how far I travel, there will always be that part of me inside.