What Now?

Now that my trial no longer defines me I ask myself, "What Now?" I'm reminded of what Gandalf said to Bilbo in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Gandalf said to Bilbo, "I'm looking for someone to share in an adventure". Bilbo, an upstanding hobbit who always followed rules and never went against the grain, said it wasn't him. Gandalf said, "It'll be good for you". Bilbo learned about the adventure and asked Gandalf if he could guarantee that he'd come back. (This is the line in the movie that stood out to me) Gandalf said, "No. And if you do you will not be the same".

I relate those words to my trial because it has changed me. I, like Bilbo, am back from my adventure and looking around ask, "Now that I'm back, what now?" I don't have frustrating things to lament about. I'm not surrounded by drama. I'm just a regular person doing regular things. "What now?" I ask myself. The answer is, "Slip back into obscurity and live my life".

I like to write and be the center of attention. I appreciate those who have supported, sustained, and lifted me when I was down. I've been a bird with a broken wing. I needed loving people in my life and I got them. But like a lighthouse light that keeps moving, the spotlight is off me and so I end my story. Good news: I'm still here and plugging away, just like you, at life.