Don’t get me wrong… I am, was and always will be, a bookworm and a big fan of my cozy home. Books, coffee and a good fluffy blanket over myslf are some of the best things in my apartment. Book are also one of the best things to get your imagination going, get to know different world and heroes and escape into the stories whenever you wish… You can be whoever you want to be! There is always this standard set of characters and you get to chosoe which side you are on, who is your most favourite hero, etc. An other way, at least for me, to escape from reality is through the big screen. Movies!… BUT….
“The world is not in your books and maps. It’s out there.” ~ Gandalf, The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien.
I guess this single sentence should say a lot by itself, and you, as a clever reader, you should be able to understand its meaning. However, me as the writer, should ellaborate…
In the Hobbit, both the book and the excellent movie by Peter Jackson, Bilbo Baggins of Bag End is a young respectable hobbit, with an excellent reputation and a peaceful life. Indded, he come from a long line of two hobbit families, both being, however, different. As a young hobbit, he was more like a Took, curious of the world and loved a good adventure in the woods, but now, an adult Hobbit he’s more like a true Baggins. Fond of his hobbit hole, the coziness of it, a good meal (or a 12 good meals). He despises adventuries. As he states himself: “We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner!” And to begin with, he’s quite right at that! However, with the decision of the wise wizard known as Gandalf the Grey, he does end up taking part in one adventure. A great adventure that changed him and by the moment he returned to the comfort of his books, maps and garden, he was not the same hobbit in mnay ways.
It’s not a bad thing… Going on an adventure. Just like Bilbo. The world is indeed not only what we read or hear about in the news. Most of the time, especially in the latter, you will lsiten about the bad events and at some point, these will get you down and in a bad mood so you will go on mumbling and making plans for your own good… Those are not that bad either… But take some time off and get to know the world before you settle down in one place, doing on thing. Going on an adventure doesn’t have to be a long unexpected journey, like Bilbo’s… It can be a simple trip to a friend, a roat trip, a ride with your bicycle towards a destination out of the usual one. It can be a day to the movies, to the fun park, to a summber break destination.
Adventures can be many and they are different for us all. Children play a game and they are going to adventures in such a way. Adults take a simle walk for a few hours and that is an adventure… Sometimes, you might even have to “force” yourself out of the door and make those few hours of free time enjoyable… That is probably a must anyway, because it’s good for your own social life and health! So get a life people! Go out! Have fun! Meet up with friends or make new friends! Speak, communicate! Explore!
As we grow older, especially nowdays, we become people with a load of responsibilities. Work, family, studies…. Things that turn up to be the most important for all of us because families are great to have, and work offers a good income to live. Studies offer knowledge on something. In the end, we realize that we have less time to read, less time to put on a movie, less time to meet up with friends, less time for many things.
The world will never be what you read in the books. Most of them do not even exist, they are just the child of another mind out there. They will remain in the pages or in the big screen, for your own imagination and escape and the pages will welcome you back. If you wish, grab a book. However, taking some time off of that and step outside your door, is not that bad either. The “roads go ever ever on, over rock and under tree, by caves where never sun has shone, by streams that never find the sea….” and that is the beauty of it!
