"Not all those who wander are lost..." (Patreon)

“All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost; the old that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost.” 

Today is J. R. R. Tolkien's 127th birthday and just as Frodo did for Bilbo, every year I continue to celebrate the great author in his absence. He has had a profound effect on my life and work. Although he passed before my own day of birth, I feel his spirt has been with me moving forward in time. 

A sign of his presence presented itself during a photography exploration day. I was living in Santa Fe and while walking near Fort Marcy Park I dipped down into an arroyo to see if I could find anything interesting. There I spotted an old book lying on the bank of a wash. As I inspected closer I realized it was a copy of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers! 

What better book to find lost in the woods? I quickly snapped some photos and then stood there for awhile in wonder, taking in the moment. It was a beautiful day. So quiet. I closed my eyes and listened for the voices of the ancients. In a way I knew they were with me too.

I went back a week later, but a rain had come through and the book was gone. Washed down a river, a tome rushed to a new destiny. Its pages becoming one with the land -- what once was Middle-earth, for the dreamers.

Today is a day to celebrate not only Tolkien, but those who wander. For those that do, discover something old that becomes new, and something new that can one day return a little bit older, and wiser. With stories to tell of their own.