O, downtrodden soul, weep no more. You have a curious mind, a need to touch and see to believe what is right in front of you. But they spit on your face and kick you to the ground. You wonder what it is that you did wrong, as everyone you know looks at you with disapproval and shame.

“Fool of a Took!” they exclaim, as if you have sinned in their eyes. Each friend stands off from afar while your enemies lick their lips like hungry wargs anticipating your demise. You hope once more to gain the approval of companions who have joined you in the journey that is called life, reaching out a desperate hand to the holy and wise.

“Just throw yourself in the well and rid us of your stupidity,” one of your mentors mutters in disgust and shame. You wonder if life is truly worth living any more. But take heart! For you are never alone in your quest along the broken roads of life.

Let the wise Gandalf and Saruman gaze upon you, learn what it’s like to be a lowly, humble soul. It is said the meek will inherit the Earth, more than those the world deems righteous. For I, too, am a simple hobbit in spirit, and blessed are you, my dearest Pippin. I know that one day, I will see you beyond the shores of Creation.

Editor: Shannon Hensley