New Beginnings and Resolutions: Becoming a Hobbit at Heart in the New Year
A few excerpts from Concerning Hobbits:
Hobbits “love peace and quiet and good tilled earth: a well-ordered and well-farmed countryside was their favorite haunt.”
“As for the Hobbits of the Shire, with whom these tales are concerned, in the days of their peace and prosperity they were a merry folk. They dressed in bright colours, being notably fond of yellow and green…”
“Their faces were as a rule good-natured rather than beautiful, broad, bright-eyed, red-cheeked, with mouths apt to laughter, and to eating and drinking. And laugh they did, and eat, and drink, often and heartily, being fond of simple jests at all times, and of six meals a day (when they could get them). They were hospitable and delighted in parties, and in presents, which they gave away freely and eagerly accepted.”
“They were, if it came to it, difficult to daunt or to kill; and they were perhaps, so unwearyingly fond of good things not least because they could, when put to it, do without them, and could survive rough handling by grief, foe, or weather in a way that astonished those who did not know them well and looked no further than their bellies and their well-fed faces…”
“The Shire at this time had hardly any ‘government’. Families for the most part managed their own affairs. Growing food and eating it occupied most of their time. In other matters they were, as a rule, generous and not greedy, but contented and moderate, so that estates, farms, workshops, and small trades tended to remain unchanged for generations.”
“There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West. Some courage and some wisdom, blended in measure. If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” - The Hobbit
Ways to Be More of a Hobbit at Heart in the New Year
Spend more time outside
Next time it’s nice outside, grab a book and read a little
Go for a hike or walk along a trail
Have a picnic!
Take some breaks from the internet
Consider starting a garden, it can be small if you’re just starting out
Less fast food, more home cooking
Be intentional about being hospitable, make a point of inviting others into your home
Give gifts as often and as generously as you are able
Spend time in fellowship with others
Host at least one party this year
Maybe this year you’ll learn how to brew beer
Maybe smoke a little pipe tobacco with friends
Look for opportunities to humble yourself
Let your Yes mean Yes and No mean No
Frodo didn’t accept the task of carrying the Ring halfheartedly, once he said yes he stayed committed as long as he could
Become a better friend.
Everyone needs a Samwise. Be intentional about becoming a better friend to someone who needs one this year.
Eat more Second Breakfast.
Sit beside the fire and just think every so often, ponder things
Read and write poetry
Host a Hobbit Party! Every September 22 we host a party in celebration of Frodo and Bibo’s birthdays, you should too. I have tons of ideas here.
Favorite Tweets (see the whole thread here)
Zegg Noggenour @zgochenour: (go-ken-hour) The heart of the hobbit lifestyle is hospitality. One of my favorite hobbit practices is giving gifts on your birthday.
hannah 🎄 @hanmariams -staycations are good
-give yourself an afternoon break for tea
-learn how to garden or at least keep a plant alive from Trader Joe’s
-disappear from birthday parties in dramatic fashion
Robert the Nobody @Robert_in_MN
-Be content with where you are but don't turn down a grand adventure if it's presented to you.
-Wear more bright colours
-Take time to contemplate, preferably with a pipe or tea
-Eat six small meals throughout the day
-Be proud of who you are and where you come from
Get to know and fall in love with your own local area: the woods, the fields, little rivers. Like Sam, become an expert on every nook and cranny of your natural neighborhood. Attachment to place seems very hobbitish.
Start with, "Hobbits are a representation of of how Tolkien saw Chesterton: Authentic, merry, with a pipe and pint."
