I would never have made for a good Hobbit, other than the fact I can’t grow much facial hair and I don’t like wearing shoes and would love to live in a hole in the ground. Anyway, I am not round in the belly, at least not any more, and I love to go on adventures. Adventures are very un-hobbit-esque.
It’s funny though, I love adventures because of The Hobbit.
I read The Hobbit for the first time back in middle school. The dark, but funny tale captured me. I wanted to follow the path through Mirkwood, ride the barrels to the edge of the Lonely Mountain, and find myself in the battle against Smaug.
I wanted to go on an Adventure.
I’ve longed for Gandalf to show up at my house and throw me into a grand story. Yeah, it would mess up my life, and when I would return I wouldn’t be the same. But a life well lived is a life where you embrace change, even if it is a little scary.
Unfortunately, I’ve never seen Gandalf’s fireworks, and he’s never marked my door with an invitation for a party of dwarves.
But not all adventures start like that. Some start by opening a book. Today, that book, The Hobbit, turned 75. I hope you go out and read it and let it challenge you to live adventurously. Who knows you might end up in a third world country.
Today, to celebrate the book, I joined the worldwide Second Breakfast Celebration. I really didn’t do too much, besides watch The Hobbit trailer a billion times and post a bunch about The Hobbit on my Facebook page and listen to the LOTR soundtrack today. Other than that I just ate my first breakfast at 6:30 and then made myself an omelet (which was the true adventure for the day, I’m not really a chef, but I cut my own onions and diced some peppers, threw them into the frying pan with some eggs) at 11 for elevensies, or as it’s known better, second breakfast and started reading The Hobbit for the first time in four years.
You might have missed out on the celebration today, but I challenge you to pick up the book and join the adventure. Heck, you can have second breakfast tomorrow when you celebrate Hobbit Day (tomorrow happens to be Bilbo and Frodo’s birthday, but you might not know them yet, so read up cause they’ed love to have you at their party). But be careful you might end up in Middle Earth.
Adventure With Brendan 