Wander

“Not all those who wander are lost.” 

I bet you've seen that quote somewhere, probably on a tee shirt or coffee mug. 

It's from The Lord of the Rings, and as a guy who has spent quite a bit of time wandering in one fashion or another, it's a comforting quote, because I know I've fairly often looked and felt lost. 

It's only one line, though. The first verse of the poem reads: 

“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.” 

There's a reason tens of millions of people think that book says something that matters. Take the first line: “All that is gold does not glitter.” That one strikes home. As a country we seem eager to chase after the newest shiny thing, trade substance for glitter. We've always done it, most countries have, but the pace of glitter chasing seems to be picking up. 

Next is the coffee mug line. I think the reason people like to hear that wandering doesn't mean you're lost is because while some people hit the ground running, know where they want to be and how to get there, most of us take some detours along the way. Shoot, I'm still trying to decide what I want to be when I grow up, and I'm within a month of my seventh decade. 

And, for someone who is nearly seventy, the line “the old that is strong does not wither” is comforting. I had a friend who used to say, “I'm retired, which I think means I've got new tires and I'm ready to roll!” Great line and great attitude. I'm not nearly in that place, but I am comforted by the thought that just because I'm old doesn't mean I need to fade away. I know I'm not the only one to worry about it. More and more I think of that prayer by John Wesley, “Please God, don't let me live long enough to be worthless.” Age brings some downsides that cannot be denied, but when John Wesley was almost 90, on his deathbed, he was able to write a letter to Wilbur Wilberforce to encourage him to keep up the good fight against slavery. Age doesn't mean you're out of the game, it just means you need to delegate some of the more active tasks. 

And the reason for that is in the last line, “deep roots are not touched by the frost.” We are who we were. Every challenge, every pleasure, every misery for better or worse are all ingredients in the way we react to the present. I’ve accomplished so many things simply because the memories of everything I've failed at allowed me to learn something valuable in the process of failing. 

Maybe that’s the lesson those of us of a certain age should take from this poem. Deep roots are not touched by the frost. All around us our children, grandchildren, the kid down the street or the toddler throwing a tantrum in the mall are growing those roots. We need to make sure those roots teach them something positive, show them their worth and not convince them of their worthlessness. After all, just because someone is wandering a little off the path doesn’t mean they’re lost. 

Copyright 2024 Brent Olson