Bilbo Baggins

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               In celebration of Hobbit's Day 2017, I declare a tribute to J.R.R. Tolkien's beloved book (of which I've read seven times), The Hobbit. The titular character, Bilbo Baggins, is one in a million, easily one of my favorite literary characters. He was one of the bravest of Hobbits, a kind and cheerful adventurer. He found something once, something small and seemingly insignificant, a discovery that changed the future course of Middle Earth. His actions resulted in the saving of an entire land, his innocence becoming courage as he faced choices that no Hobbit had ever faced. Bilbo is one of my many heroes, and not because he models the ideal diet (breakfast, Elevensies, second breakfast, lunch, supper, tea time, dinner and dessert) but because he sought a journey that took him beyond himself and all he had ever known. He befriended Elves and Dwarves, fought Goblins and outwitted a Dragon, keeping up his hope even in the darkest of times. Within the dank bowels of a mountain, Biblo encounters Smeagol, also known as Gollum, and a game of treachery and cunning ensues wherein Bilbo receives the ultimate prize, the one Ring of Power. He does not fully understand the massive repercussions of owning the Ring, and yet he shoulders the responsibility with as much humor and goodwill as he is able. Through his journey, he realizes that the world is so much bigger than he ever imagined, and in the end, he knows his choice to step out his front door was more than worth it. It is a dangerous place out there, Tolkien reiterates through Bilbo's voice, but the adventure awaits nonetheless. In Bilbo, I see parts of my own yearning for a bigger and bolder life, and I see too that in my struggles with the right decisions and actions, I must persist no matter the situation. I'll never find myself facing off against a gold-hoarding dragon or slippery spiders, but sometimes it feels like it. And when I do, I want to be like Bilbo: brave, strong and endlessly hungry for adventure.

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