Frodo, Quests, and Me

I an currently in the middle of a number of long-term self-improvement endeavors, some of which may pay financial dividends in the future. This is good, seeing that regardless what happens at my current place of employment (the post office), I am also approaching retirement anyway. And there's no way I want to spend it idly sitting around or doing some menial work for pocket change. So in my various quests, looking for an edge into a paying marketplace is definitely in my mind. But having said that, it is important to note and emphasize the value of the journey itself.

The quest of Frodo Baggins to dispose of the Ring of Power in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings resonates with me as I go about my own quests. As with the deep uncertainty about Frodo being able to ultimately accomplish his crucial deed, my goals also leave a lot of room for self-doubt. It would be easy to become very discouraged and give up, especially if I look too far ahead and become obsessed with how far I still need to go. But as was the case with Frodo, I am focusing more on taking on my quests one step at a time, with me firmly established in the present, putting one foot in front of the other in the directions I need to go. There will be times of great progress; there will also be times of stagnation, even crisis. But that's just part of the journey...

I look around me at other people in my life and discover that many are just drifting along from one day to the next, completely mired in the small details of their daily existence and without any consistent theme to where they want to take their lives. For better or for worse, I am not like them and hope that I never will be. And like Frodo the Ringbearer, this sometimes sadly means that I will often find myself alone in my journey...