In medio stat virtus

…or “Virtue stands in the middle”.  It’s an old saying attributed to Horace to which I all to infrequently turn as a reminder of how to keep my sanity.  Of late I’ve been allowing myself to get stretched in every direction, unwilling to show weakness by giving anything less than all I have to whom or whatever asks.  As you can imagine, giving all of yourself to everyone all the time can be tiring even for the saints, in whose blessed company I most certainly am not.  So the past two days I’ve taken the opportunity to spend just a little time reading purely for pleasure and have started a book you’ll be both shocked and appalled to know I’ve never before read.  Yes, somehow J.R.R. Tolkein’s The Hobbit has somehow eluded my viewing pleasure all these years.  Ah what peaceful bliss to read and not feel compelled to memorize, scrutinize and theorize.

Do yourself a favor.  In these hectic times, now and then, take a half-step back and immerse yourself in something simple like this.  God did not create us to burn ourselves out with constant worry and struggle, unless you’re one of the blessed few who can spend their whole life in such efforts.  It’s amazing how revitalizing a few orcs, goblins and hobits can be.  And to top it off, soon I won’t have to admit I’ve never read this series with head hung low.  A win, one might say, all around.  My apologies if I start to write in arcane prose or smatter my posts with poetry. (Okay, so the former happens now and the latter … well, doesn’t stand much of a chance.  But you get the idea.)