Facing the Dragon

Well, look who’s back from an unexpected hiatus! Honestly, I really wasn’t planning to take a break - when life got absolutely crazy one week, I decided to just skip one day, and that snowballed into almost a month and a half. But now with school wrapping up, I’m hoping to be able to take a breather and stick to a consistent posting schedule again.

But let’s back up a little. When I said that craziness in life stopped me from writing on this blog, that was only half accurate. I really needed to focus on school and life in the beginning, yes. But after a few weeks, I was caught up (mostly) and in a better position. I know that if I had tried a little harder, I would have been able to post. 

So what was stopping me? 

As usual, there was an element of fear. Little demons whispered in my mind, reminding me that this was for others to see. And soon, getting back to my writing schedule was like a dragon in my path - something that I was letting get in the way of my goals. There are so many types of dragons in our lives - things that we don't do because it's hard or not fun or scary. They're all actions I need or want to take but just . . . put them off. 

Sometimes there are dragons in our paths that are big and scary and you are pretty sure that you’ll get burned because - eep look at those flames! But these dragons might be in our paths for a reason. And the treasure that they guard could make you so much richer. 

The book The Hobbit illustrates this pretty well. In The Hobbit, Bilbo had two dragons. Smaug was the literal fire breathing one that did try to kill him a few times. But Smaug kind of represented the other dragon, the main obstacle that Bilbo overcame: the challenge of leaving the Shire and becoming more than just a hobbit who likes to make smoke rings in his front yard. 

Bilbo learned different things from these dragons: he took “classes," if you will. “Extreme Thievery 101,” “How Not to Get Killed By a Creature that Wants Dearly to Kill You” and “Intro to Coming Back from the Dead” were key things that he learned. He also learned in the abstract. “Bravery for the Fainthearted,” “Cultivating a Sense of Adventure,” and “Thinking Quickly in a Tight Spot” were only a few of these lessons. 

And after Bilbo faced his dragons, he grew. The dragons challenged him and forced him to change, to learn, and to grow. He changed as a person -er, hobbit - and became more. 

We all have Smaugs in our paths, dragons that guard things in our lives. That prevent us from just walking up and plucking the things we want off the shelf. There may be the, easier paths available to us - but if we take them, we won’t get to the treasure that the dragon guards. We have to work to get this treasure - and best of all, we get to learn from them. These dragons may be obstacles, yes, but they are also opportunities, if only we will take them. 

Because only by challenging our dragons will we move and will be able to grow. It’s all right if the dragons scare you, but don’t let them stop you from taking the path you want to take. You have a sword and you have an amazing mind and you can use those weapons to get past any dragon if only you try. 

This is a lesson I'm learning over and over, something I have to remind myself more and more often now. Change is scary. The adulating world is scary, and it's easy enough to sit in comfort. But I'm not pushing myself, and I'm not doing the best I can when I let my dragons keep me from pursuing the treasure I want. 

Whatever the dragons are that you may face, I encourage you to take the first step and raise your sword. Because while I know that you can overcome these dragons, you will never know until you try. 

Let's talk! What are the dragons you face? Do you know why they're dragons? And do you have any plans for the summer (with, oh my goodness, is almost here)?