Don't Take Me Seriously - Book - Page 97
Watch that Àrst step!
ESCAPE Weekly
April 9 - 15, 2010 – 4
Putting one foot in front of the other gets you where you are going, but....
S
o, I was watching “The Lord of the Rings” the
The most marvelous part about a journey of a
other night on TV, you know, because it has
thousand miles is that, if you keep putting one foot in
somehow become a traditional Easter movie.
front of the other, you reach the end.
I can’t really explain that. Maybe it has to do with
Always. Never fails.
the word “Hobbits” sounding like “rabbits” or some
Well, that is unless you lose your way and end up
such. More likely it has to do with TV programmers
in Cleveland, or keel-over and die. But even in these
knowing you will be home and bored and
cases you reach the end of your, particular,
they are seeking to lock you into multiple
journey, sad as it might be.
hours of commercials.
But if you want to reach a specific goal,
Anyway, at least I think I was watching
you have to keep taking steps in that
the movie. Truth is, I’ve seen it so many
direction. If you keep turning off your
times it could play on the backs of my
path every time you see a shiny object,
eyelids all by itself. And so could the books
well, you’ll get to see a lot of shiny objects
of the same title because I spent a couple
grow tarnished and you’ll never reach a
teenage years escaping homework in those
worthy objective.
Tolkien stories.
Think about it. Did you ever really
Jim Walker
However it got to my retinas, what
believe you would get through grade
Don’t Take Me Seriously
was playing was the first movie of the
school? High school? College? Learn
trilogy, “The Fellowship of the Ring,”
to ski? Get that pilot’s license? Learn
where Frodo’s journey begins. Sam and Frodo are
Spanish? Drop those 20 pounds? Survive until
leaving the Shire, and crossing a field. Sam halts and
your retirement?
says, “If I take one more step, it will be the farthest
It’s all about sticking to it.
away from home I have ever been.” (See www.
Marathon runners have literal experience with this
youtube.com/watch?v=DcziMI0tol4.) But with a little
one-step-at-a-time business. And anyone who has
encouragement from Frodo, he does take that step —
ever written a novel or screenplay knows you have to
and their trip to hell kicks off.
keep typing, every day. In fact, even starting to read a
Thank you very much, Mr. Frodo.
really long book can be daunting. You doubt you’ll get
Of course they do save Middle Earth in the process. through all those pages. And then, suddenly, you have
Ancient Chinese philosopher Lao-tzu is credited
— and you want more.
with various versions of the quote, “A journey of a
That’s a lot like the journey of life in general.
thousand miles begins with a single step,” and I do
You see, in most cases, when you reach the end of
believe that Tolkien intended to hammer home that
your journey, you forget the pain you suffered during
concept with Sam’s one step beyond. At the start, the
the trip. And with this rosy hindsight, the hardest
fuzzy-footed boys could never have imagined how long part of your journey seems to have been making the
and hard their journey would be. If they had realized
commitment to do it — to take that first step. It’s
the trials to come, they would probably have turned
almost like, in that brilliant moment, the deed is
around, gone home and had a “pint.”
already done. Only the passage of time separates choice
Nazgul be darned. Have a drink, hand them the
from result. And the time is going to pass regardless.
ring and join the dark side. How bad could it be,
Sadly, that goes for good choices and bad ones. You
really? If the Shire goes to ashes you won’t have to trim really have to watch out for that first step.
the hedges.
Say someone hands you 10 years and says, “Do what
you want with these, and I’ll check back with you in 10
This idea of starting a journey because you don’t
and see what you’ve accomplished.”
realize how hard it will be is the only reason people
If your first step is to buy a sixer and celebrate, that
have kids. It seems like a cute plan at first, but you
really have no idea what you are getting into. However, could be all you do for the next decade. When your
benefactor comes back you’ll be broke, bad-livered and
in the end, you get to move into your kids’ houses and
the owner of a plaque honoring your huge contribution
have them change your diapers, so it’s all worth it.
Metro Creative Connection
to can and bottle recycling. Admirable as this may be,
it is hardly the stuff of dreams.
But say your first step is to write down the goal
“master’s degree,” and tape it to your refrigerator with
a checklist of reasonable steps to get there. Getting a
master’s degree is eminently doable in 10 years, even
if you have to start by getting your GED. Besides
that, every time you reach for the refrigerator door to
grab a beer, you will be reminded that there is a more
productive use for those few moments. At the end of
those 10 years you’ll have that degree and wonder how
you ever doubted you could do it.
You’ll also have a normal-sized liver.
But whatever you do, don’t start a weekly column.
That will send you in a new and pointless direction
each and every week, seeking to expose the foibles of
the universe. And therein lies lunacy.
So take that first step.
But watch what you’re stepping in.
