To Be a Hobbit.

This last weekend, I traveled around the Coromandel peninsula with some of my friends. We saw things ranging from a hot water beach (after digging a hole in the sand, you bask in the hot water that fills it) to Cathedral Cove, which was featured in the Narnia movie "Prince Caspain". It was a very cool Saturday.

It was Sunday that brought me to Hobbiton. The site of 'The Shire' is outside the small town of Matamata and boasts the hobbit holes featured in the Lord of the Rings trilogy as well as the upcoming movie of 'The Hobbit'.

It was all very cool and while I cannot post pictures due to copyright, I urge you to take my word for it that the small dwellings are incredibly picturesque. If possible, I would not mind having a round and colorful front door on my house in the future. While I have been told it would be an inefficient use of space, I maintain that it would add a character that far surpasses any lost space.

One thing that struck me while I peered around at hobbit holes and the quaint gardens of 'The Shire' was how incredibly real things can appear when they are truly not. While to my eyes, the sets looked flawless, I knew in my mind that they were merely constructions.

Sometimes I wonder if we try to appear like these movie sets: put together with things perfectly placed. We like to give the impression of being people in control of our relationships, our academics, our futures, our emotions, and our experiences.

I hope to always freely admit my life is not like that. It seems to me that as soon as I figure out one aspect of my life, another has dropped off the deep end. My relationships sometimes take a hit as I focus on academics and vice versa.

In Hobbiton, occasionally some pesky tourists disrupt the carefully erected facade. It is discovered that behind those cute round doors lie only cement retaining walls.

My prayer this week is to be someone real. Someone who freely admits mistakes and difficulties. I am praying to be someone whose life reflects God despite of and through my imperfections.

I am also secretly praying to be turned into a hobbit.