Love the Journey

The Hobbit Chapter 2: “Roast Mutton”

Chapter Summary

Bilbo wakes up late the morning after the unexpected party to find all the dwarves have left without him. He’s relieved to return to his normal routine until Gandalf arrives and rushes him out the door to catch up with the company. Bilbo leaves in such a hurry that he forgets many essential items, including his hat, walking stick, and pocket-handkerchiefs.

The group travels through pleasant country at first, but as they move into wilder lands, the weather worsens and their spirits sink. Bilbo particularly struggles with the discomforts of the journey and regrets leaving his comfortable home.

One rainy evening, they spot a fire in the distance and send Bilbo ahead to investigate as practice for his role as burglar. He discovers three large trolls—Tom, Bert, and William—roasting mutton. Bilbo attempts to pick one of their pockets but is caught.

The trolls capture Bilbo and, one by one, the dwarves as they come to investigate. They argue about how to cook their captives. Gandalf, who has been mysteriously absent, saves them by imitating the trolls’ voices and causing confusion until dawn breaks, turning the trolls to stone (as sunlight does to trolls).

The company finds the trolls’ cave, which contains food, gold, and several weapons, including swords that Gandalf and Thorin claim. These will prove to be important later in the story.

Reflections on the Journey

“Love the journey, it prepares you for the destination.”

People say “life is a journey,” and it is. Life is a journey into the unknown. Life is an adventure. But as Bilbo discovered during his first real test on the road to the Lonely Mountain:

“…adventures are not all pony-rides in May sunshine…”

Indeed, life is not all pony-rides in May sunshine. Eventually, everyone’s journey gets difficult. You know what I’m talking about. Family problems, health problems, financial problems, career setbacks, the challenge of aging and preparing to die—these things make the journey of life hard.

Life has trolls.

Photo by Joey Zhou on Unsplash

Just as Bilbo encountered unexpected dangers on his journey, we face our own threatening obstacles—those moments when life grabs us by the neck and threatens to overwhelm us. But what if these “trolls” have something to teach us?

What Trolls Teach Us

We’re braver than we think. Like Bilbo fumbling in the dark trying to pick a troll’s pocket, we discover courage we didn’t know we had when circumstances demand it.

We can’t face everything alone. The dwarves came to rescue Bilbo one by one—and were captured one by one. We need each other. But even the best friends can’t always save us from what we’re facing.

Higher wisdom appears when we need it most. Gandalf arrived at dawn, just in time. When we watch and wait with open hearts, trusting something beyond ourselves, wisdom finds us in our darkest hour.

The journey itself transforms us. It’s in facing the trolls—not avoiding them—that we become who we’re meant to be.

Christine Valters-Paintner writes in Illuminating the Way: Embracing the Wisdom of Monks and Mystics: “The ability to welcome in all of life and stay present to it is what carves out wisdom in the deepest parts of our being and helps us to come to know the depth of mystery at the heart of things.”

This is what the trolls teach us: not to avoid difficulty, but to stay present to it. To let it carve wisdom into us.

So love the journey, trolls and all. The difficulties aren’t interruptions to your path—they ARE the path, shaping you, strengthening you, preparing you for what lies ahead. And if you stay present, stay open, the wisdom you need will meet you right when dawn breaks.

As Walt Whitman knew: “Not I, nor anyone else can travel that road for you. You must travel it by yourself. It is not far. It is within your reach.”