Not all those who wander are lost…
Source/Author: Adrianne Finley Odell, Assistant Head of School
January 27, 2017
My daughter gave me a T-shirt with this caption for my 50th birthday last November. It was in commemoration of our August road trip to deliver her to New York where she began her freshman year of college. Our journey took us through the mountains of North Carolina where we inhaled the fresh mountain air, drank in the inspiring vistas, and sensed the connection between the earth, our bodies and each other.
I was wearing the shirt again this past week and thought further about the meaning of the phrase and decided to find out where it came from. It is likely that many of you already know it is from a poem in J.R.R. Tolkien’s "The Lord of the Rings." Sheepishly I admit, I have not read his books (just watched the movies), but my daughter is an avid fan. Now having read the poem, perhaps Tolkien will rise to the top of my reading list this summer. It is likely that we can each take something personal from Tolkien’s words and connect it to some of our own experiences.
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.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.
For me, the meaning I draw from Tolkien’s poem is that many experiences in life are not quite what they seem on the surface. Experiences that, at face value, may not appear to have worth can be some of the most beneficial activities one could undertake.
Consider, for example, the “gap year.” Students sometimes receive grief from friends and relatives for considering such an alternative versus heading straight to college after high school, but for some a gap year can lead to a defining moment in one’s life. It did for me. When I graduated from high school, I went to South Africa to spend an additional high school year as a Rotary Exchange student. It was a life-changing experience for me and offered me perspectives that I still carry with me to this day.
Earlier this week, the Willis’ Leadership Lecture speaker, Jennifer Pharr Davis spoke to Upper School students about her experiences as a through-hiker on the Appalachian Trail. Her first attempt to hike the entire length of the 2,200 mile was after college before starting a job—a journey that takes between five to seven months on average. Her parents were skeptical about the idea and concerned about her not becoming gainfully employed. Jennifer believes, however, that some of the most important lessons in her life have been gained during times when she had the space to “wander” as Tolkien puts it.
In fact, the lessons she learned are as applicable to our daily lives as they were for her on the trail. She told the students that “persistency and consistency can still be more important than speed and strength.” This is from a woman who broke a speed record for the fastest through-hike completed by any man or woman, averaging 47 miles per day, yet she recognized that her accomplishment was made possible primarily through determination and purpose rather than speed.
When she completed the hike she was surprised by the questions that she received from reporters who were focused on the numbers—how many miles, how many hours of sleep, how many calories did she consume—rather than the lessons learned. She affirmed to Shorecrest students, “Your identity and your journey can never be summed up by the numbers. You are so much more than numbers… so much more than SAT scores and GPAs.”
Lastly, Ms. Davis reflected on the key take-aways from what was at times a painful, grueling, insect-infested experience on the trail. She became rich with the memories of the beauty she experienced and the people she met on the trail. She particularly valued what she learned from a fellow hiker/ university professor. She acknowledged how much she grew and changed by giving herself the opportunity to wander. She also recognized what remained the same. “What didn’t change were the lessons I learned, the memories I gained and the relationships I shared. That was the most valuable part of the journey.”
What journeys will you begin this year? How might you give yourself, or your children, the freedom and opportunity to “wander?”
