I wonder, and really do genuinely wonder, if I will someday be like Bilbo. A meagre, mediocre, normal guy, unexpectedly called to an adventure. Called to step out of his comfort zone of bacon and eggs every morning; called to desert normalcy. To have wet, hard rocks to sleep on in exchange for soft pillows and sheets. To have a dragon breathing fire down his neck, rather than smoking his good ol' pipe. To meet all kinds of people and creatures, instead of the same old neighbors.
And all that adventure, only to return home once again
You see, the thing about Bilbo that strikes me as a little peculiar (yet familiar. weird, I know.) is that he never asked for an adventure. He was well off and content in his little hobbit hole — happy, if you will. Nevertheless, an adventure came beckoning. Still, he had a choice.
Tolkien breaks it down pretty simply. Our dear hobbit possessed two sides to his character: his Baggins side, the one that prefers comfort and surety, and his Tookish side, the one that just thrives on adventure. And the funny thing is that throughout the book Bilbo is constantly at wars with himself. He was at times excited with what he was in the midst of doing yet at the same time he still longed for the comfort of his home.
Perhaps I am just like Bilbo. Aching for an adventure yet still requiring to return home after said adventure.
Besides, adventures make for great storytelling. Like that time a couple of friends and I got stopped by a police roadblock in Langkawi. Anyone can talk about getting pulled over by a cop, but if one speaks from experience, the tiny little details prior to being pulled over is what makes it a gem.
And all that adventure, only to return home once again
You see, the thing about Bilbo that strikes me as a little peculiar (yet familiar. weird, I know.) is that he never asked for an adventure. He was well off and content in his little hobbit hole — happy, if you will. Nevertheless, an adventure came beckoning. Still, he had a choice.
Tolkien breaks it down pretty simply. Our dear hobbit possessed two sides to his character: his Baggins side, the one that prefers comfort and surety, and his Tookish side, the one that just thrives on adventure. And the funny thing is that throughout the book Bilbo is constantly at wars with himself. He was at times excited with what he was in the midst of doing yet at the same time he still longed for the comfort of his home.
Roads go ever ever on
Under cloud and under stars,
Yet feet that wandering have gone
Under cloud and under stars,
Yet feet that wandering have gone
Turn at last to home afar.
Eyes that fire and sword have seen
And horror in the halls of stone
Look at last on meadows green
And trees and hills they long have known.
Perhaps it can be said that each one of us like Bilbo, have our own Baggins and Tookish side. Perhaps one outweighs the other, or maybe they're finely balanced.
Perhaps I am just like Bilbo. Aching for an adventure yet still requiring to return home after said adventure.
Besides, adventures make for great storytelling. Like that time a couple of friends and I got stopped by a police roadblock in Langkawi. Anyone can talk about getting pulled over by a cop, but if one speaks from experience, the tiny little details prior to being pulled over is what makes it a gem.
In the words of Paulo Coelho:
Is it possible to know something without ever having experienced it?
Yes, but it will never truly be part of you.
Can't wait for my sem break!!
~
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