"Lost and Found" - Rediscovering Yourself and Moving Forward

December 29, 2014 - It was late in the evening on a Monday night that followed a weekend of watching The Hobbit movies in succession, and also a weekend of cleaning out an old room in the house. The timing of this all is very impacting, seeing that it's almost the new year. Friday night I watched The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey; on Saturday I watched The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug; and on Sunday I watched The Hobbit: The Battle of The Five Armies in a movie theater. It was exciting to see the movie and it made me want to read The Hobbit book again to see the difference between the book and the adaptation, so I read it Sunday night, had several hours of sleep, then picked it back up and finished it Monday afternoon. I had a feeling of accomplishment.

I'm glad to see many things are reflected in the movie, yet of course a number of things were made up in it's adaptation. It is a gem of a tale with morals and lessons to be gleaned, even to this day. It's as if Tolkein tells the story as a narrator and interjects insights at certain points. Such might be expected for a children's tale, yet it's inspiration can touch all ages and for evermore. It's a fantasy realm in Middle Earth that I think is not too far from our own Earth, at least in that of the reality of the course and discourse of mankind's struggle between "good and evil" or right and wrong. There are virtues shown in this novel, and it also teaches us to believe more in ourselves. There's a passage I made a note of when I read this book through again. It's from Chapter 1 called 'An Unexpected Party' and you can put yourself in this quote/book while reading it. "I have chosen Mr. Baggins and that ought to be enough for all of you. If I say he is a Burglar, a Burglar he is, or will be when the time comes. There is a lot more in him than you guess, and a deal more than he has any idea of himself."

My old copy of The Hobbit novel.

This was all very nostalgic to me as I grew up reading The Hobbit and other fantasy books. I played role-playing games and arcade/video games. They opened up my imagination and gave me a sense of adventure. Yet I also liked to play football. Interesting mix. You could say life is all about balance. In preparing for the new year I was cleaning and organizing a room where I kept old belongings. I found a good number of precious things that still mean a lot to me because they marked important times in my life. One of those life-changing times was being in the U.S. Army as a Cavalry Scout. I recall the days leading up to leaving for basic training, and I knew that I would be part of a big adventure there.

 "See what you find when you clean your room."

One of the things I found which I knew I had somewhere was this fantasy novel called The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks. I also enjoyed the Elfstones of Shannara and The Wishsong of Shannara. After reading The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings by Tolkein, this book series quickly became another favorite of mine. I found the movie soundtrack cover of First Knight and also a book on chivalry. Growing up I was intrigued with knights and it made me want to at least act like a modern-day knight with virtues. The First Knight movie has some great quotes in it, and I think they helped shape the way I treat others. Another thing I found was my "yearbook" from being in basic training at Fort Knox, KY. I haven't looked at it in a long time. I read one of the notes a fellow soldier wrote in it which is touching: "I have really enjoyed getting to know you these last few months. You are a truly good friend and a good person. I wish about 20 more people on this floor had your maturity and seriousness. Things might have been a little different. Good luck in everything you do." That means a lot to me and my time in the Army was an incredible experience for me. I also found some training manuals too. I also uncovered this book by John Eldredge called 'The Way of The Wild Heart.' It's a "guide to the process of masculine initiation, that ancient path every boy and man must take if they would become the man they long to be." I didn't get far into this book, but I did read through John's first book 'Wild at Heart' which was a bestseller and it became somewhat of a movement that invited men to "a life of adventure, passion, beauty and danger, a life beyond the walls of simply being a nice man." All these things I found were a part of me, and they still are.

I also found an old notebook from a photography class, and we had to learn to develop film too. Wow, how far we've all come personally and as far as technology is concerned. I look at the pictures I took over the years and I can't help but criticize my own work. We may not be great when we start out, but we learn along the way and we just have to do the best we can at the moment. Sometimes I feel like scrapping a lot of my work and starting over in a sense. It's all a learning and growth experience, and it takes practice. Reignite your passions and get motivated and inspired. Take the next step. I think it's important to appreciate the past and what you have, but forge ahead to make today and tomorrow better. 

In applying all this to photography in the new year, I think it'll help me refine what photography projects I want to pursue. We should photograph things that are meaningful to us, even if it's a personal project. Photographers are often asked "Oh, you're a photographer, what do you shoot or like to shoot? The answers may well represent our niche or focus. We do what we can to make a living, but I've always wanted to do more portraits and fashion photography.

So I think it's an important moment in finding what was lost, so that we may remember and allow what was good then to be a part of helping us to rediscover ourselves and go into tomorrow as a more rounded person. Sometimes I think we start out with good intentions and do well for awhile, but then at times we get off track or even stumble and fall. May we get up and move forward, and hopefully we'll have the aid of like-minded companions to live our lives with meaning and purpose.