Thank You Frodo

I’ve been binge watching Netflix.


I’ve been reading my way through a tall stack of books.


I’ve spent hours scrolling through Facebook and The New York Times breaking news.


My iPhone and Fitbit are sending me dire warnings that my healthy, active lifestyle is plummeting into a potentially fatal nosedive.


But never fear, I am in the midst of a “eucatastrophe”.


Eric Barker, author of the amazing new book, Plays Well with Others, reminded me of this delightful word coined, of course, by the great JRR Tolkien. He placed the prefix “eu” (which means good) in front of the all too familiar “catastrophe” to describe how a hero / heroine, facing insurmountable odds and heading towards certain doom, finds the way through to victory.


Yes, the journey will still be filled with plenty of challenges, even excruciating pain, perhaps dreadful setbacks, but they will emerge victorious and have learned many great lessons about life and its meaning along the way. We all need adventures, great and small, to pull us forward into creating a life worth living.


So it has been for me, first struggling to remain active as my knee deteriorated, then through the past three weeks of post-surgical recovery, and now, finally, (hope, hope, hope) coming out on the other side with renewed enthusiasm for more great adventures ahead.


Look around. What challenges are you facing? How about your kids, or even your grandkids? Can you see yourself, and help others see themselves, as heroes / heroines of a great tale? No matter how far the trail, how tall the cliffs, how deep the chasms, find the courage inside to face whatever lies ahead and the optimism of a Frodo to keep getting back up.


Here’s to more resilient wins at home and school,

Anne


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