What Kind of Tale

As the end of Frodo and Sam's perilous journey to Mordor looms ahead, the companions wonder what sort of tale they have fallen into... "You may know, or guess, what kind of tale it is, happy-ending or sad-ending, but the people in [the tale] don't know. And you don't want them to" (Frodo). These brave hobbits set out across Middle Earth on a mission that must not fail; they set out not knowing how their tale would end.

I was driving home this Friday when I was struck by the exciting fact that my sis and I will be headed to Ireland next month! An uncontrollable smile broke onto my face at the thought. I've had many of these moments over the past few months. But then I inevitably start thinking of all the things that could go wrong... what if we don't get to see all the things we want to; what if there are issues with our reservations; what if one of us loses her passport (...again...); what if we're robbed; what if we get sick; what if we find a magic Ring that threatens our current existence??

I begin to wonder what sort of tale this will be.

There are all sorts of unavoidable risks when traveling anywhere, let alone traveling abroad. But I know that no matter what sort of tale this turns out to be, it will be a memorable and worthwhile one. I certainly know that one of the most fun and dependable companions will be right by my side as this tale is written. And our final destination is a far less daunting than the fires of Mount Doom! How amazing it will be for our family to join in on our little tale in its last chapters!

I'll end this entry by reassuring you that my excitement outweighs my worries. No matter how thorough my "outline" for this tale is, I am not the One writing this tale. Things won't go exactly as I hope or imagine. Things may go wrong and it probably will rain the whole time (weather in I/UK... *sigh*). But that's okay. I don't know how the tale ends and, just as Frodo suggested, I don't want to. Because each line of each paragraph of each chapter is all part of the adventure - all part of the tale we've fallen into.

-C&C

"The brave things in the old tales and songs...adventures, as I used

to call them. I used to think that they were things the wonderful folk

of the stories went out and looked for, because they wanted them,

because they were exciting and life was a bit dull, a kind of a sport,

as you might say. But that's not the way of it with the tales that

really mattered, or the ones that stay in the mind. Folk seem to have

been just landed in them, usually - their paths were laid that way, as

you put it. But I expect they had lots of chances, like us, of turning

back, only they didn't. ... We hear about those as just went on - and

not all to a good end, mind you; at least not to what folk inside a

story and not outside it call a good end. ... I wonder what sort of

tale we've fallen into? "

- Sam, The Two Towers, J.R.R Tolkien