Hello my friend,

We are all like Frodo on a quest to destroy the ring of power. It’s often a perilous journey shrouded in darkness. At any point, we can turn back, run away, and go home to our comforts — ale, good food, and pipe-weed. But if we do that, eventually the darkness will spread and all that is good and green in this world will be gone.

So, what will you do on your dark night of the soul? What will you do when things look bleak, when the pain is too much, when boredom, isolation, fear, or despair creep in? Will you turn back, get lost in your phone, watch show after show, and drown your sorrows with substances and distractions?

Or, will you keep going? Will you journey on? Will you confront the dragon? Will you conquer the demons?

Darkness is not a defect. It’s a feature. It is where heroes are made. It is the fertile soil where our spiritual strength grows. It is the backdrop upon which light can appear.

All you have to do when darkness touches you… is nothing. Sit with it. It’s only unfamiliar and uncomfortable because most of us have never bothered to look at it. Don’t wish for it to stop. Accept it fully with open eyes and an open heart. We can’t force unpleasantness to stop. Hating it, fearing it, and running away from it only makes it stronger. 

But once we accept it, we transform it. Then, it can no longer upset us and it becomes a peaceful part of us, a friendly companion, nothing more.

Stare down the beast. Reign in the monster. You’re stronger than the darkness. Even the strongest of hearts can come from the smallest of hobbits.

Much love,

Todd