#1274 - that is not for them to decide
I am a massive Lord of The Rings fan. I can't remember how many times I read that trilogy. I fell in love with the world and the characters created by Tolkien when I was a kid struggling to cope with reality and trying to escape into fantasy worlds through books.
Last week I was unwell and struggling to sleep, so I decided to watch the three long Lord of The Rings movies made by Peter Jackson some years ago.
There's a scene in the first movie when the Fellowship of the Ring is inside Moria, the dead underground kingdom of the dwarfs. A sad Frodo, who feels the burden of carrying the ring, is talking with Gandalf, the wizard.
"I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.
"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us." ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
This tiny dialogue has been stuck in my head for a few days now. I'm not sure why. Maybe, it's because of what is happening around me, in the bigger world but also in my small world.
Or maybe it's just to remind me not to worry about what can happen and use my energy to decide what I want to do.