the subtleties and depth of one who remains rooted.

the subtleties and depth of one who remains rooted.
todd l lebeauc on the power of being as an acorn.

Originally shared by ****

Sometimes you feel like a nut...

Most who have come to know me, know of my affinity to the prose of JRR Tolkien. My first attraction came in reading The Hobbit at the age of twelve, and went on to every book he wrote, as well as the personal letters to many friends and family. I also followed the work he produced in his many days working for the Oxford English Dictionary and of teaching at Leeds and Pembroke.

The depth of the man was amazingly complex, and yet - as I sat watching the last of the Hobbit movies to be released, I was reminded of one simple scene in which the meek, Bilbo is faced with a confrontational and damn near caustic Thorin Oakenshield. When Thorin presses Bilbo as to what he was hiding, Bilbo reveals an acorn - and during the very brief conversation, goes on to say,

"One day it will grow; and everytime I look at it, I will remember. Everything that happened; the good, the bad. And how lucky I am that I made it home."

In the Hobbit Trilogy of movies, it is the only scene where Thorin, the King, smiles. I mean, really smiles - when reminded by a lowly, hairy-footed Hobbit, the subtleties and depth of one who remains rooted.

Personally, I have three "wearables"; My wedding ring, my St. Christopher medallion (no, I am not Catholic), and my Acorn. All are sterling, and all very personal.  All have been given to me as gifts, and remind me of being rooted, and the foundational need to focus on such.

Certainly, after more than a year now on g+, I have seen everything I do grow. Metrics. Stories. Image archives. Relationships. Much like an acorn grows into a mighty oak, branches form, and likewise - can be broken off. The turbulence of social storms of varied opinions, and the decimating effects of viral commentary that bring on disease of the spirit much like that of Sudden oak death (Phytophthora ramorum).

Sure, there are plenty, who will build upon the mighty oak. The majesty, and the allure of the shelter and shade it affords. But every so often, I still look to the acorn. That singular nut, that needs to be planted, and cared for. Cultivated into a deeply rooted identity, so that other "things" may come from not only its branches and trunks - but of the acorns that are dropped for the next passing, lowly, hairy-footed Hobbit.

Because:

Some times you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't...

#thinkingoutloud  

Perfunctory Disclaimer [sic]:
Ⅰ. There is nothing herein, except that which you may read into it yourself.
Ⅱ. If you think I am writing about you, rest comforted in your vain self-assessments and the reaffirmation that once again, you are correct.
Ⅲ. It is what it is, BUT IT AIN'T WHAT YOU THINK...