Tolkien's Gift

Sometimes our world gets caught up in being like others - mimicking others to fit in or be accepted. In every aspect, we need to be fully ourselves, and know that how we were created is a beautiful thing. Only then do true talents come out. 

I just finished reading the biography of J.R.R. Tolkien, and one thing I admire about him is that he embraced his unique talent and gift (of writing detailed legends as if they were history) and gave us the words we read today in The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, and countless other tales and essays. His influence in the writing world is enormous, but he had no idea that his talent would even be noticed. He just wrote what he knew he loved to write. 

Tolkien lived a quiet, uneventful life in England, many of those years residing in Oxford. If someone picked up this biography expecting an exciting tale, they would be disappointed. Tolkien was like a hobbit (he even said that), enjoying all things comfortable, quiet, spending time out in his garden, smoking a pipe, and eating good food. But within these pages you get the sense of what drove Tolkien in his writing and the things that he cared about. As someone who enjoys dabbling in writing, it is comforting to know that he struggled with finding the time to sit and write. He stayed up late into the night to write, because he had no other time most days. He also had difficulty in selecting the right words to use. He wrote and re-wrote passages many times, and sometimes re-vamped a whole book because he wasn't satisfied. He was a perfectionist, and cared deeply about the history he was writing, but that oftentimes meant he missed deadlines and probably felt like a failure. He talked so fast sometimes, many people noted they had a hard time keeping up intellectually, as he moved so quickly.

He is remembered most for the aforementioned books, but he never anticipated such fame. By being himself, he graced the world with stories that none of us could ever have imagined or created. His unique gift is an inspiration to many generations. His books, far from being slipshod creations, are meticulous works of art. While many times he doubted himself (and his ability to finish a piece), he found encouragement in his friend C.S. Lewis, who nudged him along to finish The Lord of the Rings. Sometimes we need that friendly push to keep doing what we do well, and friends can do that for us.

I am so thankful for the gifts that Tolkien had and the gifts he gave us in his writings. the more I read of his, the more I admire his genius. A waistcoat wearing, pipe-smoking, Oxford don who loved words so deeply from a very early age, instilled in him by his mother.