Retreating to Middle-Earth

 

 

It’s been six weeks since I retreated to Middle-Earth. At that time, I was immersed in too much negative reading material. On my long slog to work I was listening to Hamilton, a book not only about Alexander, but the whole cast of founders with all their mis-steps, mis-deeds, and outright back stabbing. (Spoiler alert: it’s a miracle that the colonies held together as a country.) And by night I was reading Dreamland, a well written but depressing chronicle of the opioid epidemic. (Spoiler alert: the greed of the pharmaceutical industry plays a huge part.)

Finding the balance between being an informed citizen and putting one’s head in the sand can be tricky at times. But sometimes self-care demands a retreat, or at least a respite. It didn’t take long for me to decide what I needed to dive into.

Middle-Earth, the Realm of  J.R. R.Tolkien

If you’ve never read The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy, I don’t know what to say to you.  And no, watching the movies is not like experiencing the books!

Fortunately, the Denver Library has The Hobbit and all three Lord of the Rings books available on audio. For the past six weeks, my long drive to work has been transformed into a magical unfolding story of good and evil, beautifully narrated by Rob Inglis.  And one of the best parts is that I know the good guys win in the end.

But there is more. One of the things I have always loved about the books is the epic nature of the tale. The story of the ring is just one tiny part of the history of the universe. Things shift and change. Dark times come and dark times go. Light returns. It’s not an excuse for inaction, but it’s a reminder that we are all part of a bigger story.

It is easy to see all the difficulties of the world, magnified by greed and lust for power. But just as in Middle-Earth, that is only part of the story. When we shift our gaze, we can see the beauty all around and the millions of individuals working for a better and just planet.

The things that are priceless are friendship, loyalty, community, and connectedness. Connectedness, not just with other beings like ourselves, but with the green world as well. And it is important to do the right thing, even if the outcome seems doomed from the start. Because we don’t know how things will unfold.

Remembering Self Care

In the Lord of the Ring, the world, as the Hobbits know it, is falling apart. Frodo is the only one who can save them. Yet, even Frodo has times of respite. He rests at Tom Bombadil’s house, and with the elves in Rivendell and Lothlorien. It’s a good reminder that we can’t go on without ceasing. It might feel that the weight of the world is on our shoulders, but usually what we have on our plates is not as serious as taking the One Ring to Mount Doom.

We are each a tiny part of the story. We can find a way to take respite. Find something beautiful to immerse ourselves in and be refreshed for another day. We can each find our own Middle- Earth, whatever that is, and go back to it periodically. Touching it. Revisiting it. Being immersed in beauty and hope. This seems to me an important practice.

Notes

I am listening to the Lord of the Rings audio book while in the car.  At night I am reading  The Making of Middle Earth, A New Look Inside the World of J.R.R. Tolkien, by Christopher Snyder.  The book provides details on the legends and stories Tolkien drew upon to create Middle Earth.  It’s a great companion to the books and a tiny window into the vast knowledge Tolkien had of old tales and languages.