Leaving The Shire by Madilyn

Leaving The Shire by Madilyn - June 2013 Scholarship Essay

I often think of my hometown as The Shire. Hampton is a small community bound by self-locked shackles and tucked into the valleys of East Tennessee; from my house, I can turn 360 degrees and see mountains in every direction. Generations tuck themselves away in the farmlands and churches, often following the paths laid out for them by their parents or grandparents. We speak wistfully of those cities and people beyond our borders, but to many, they are nothing more than tales. If a tractor can't match the speed limit, then the city's too big for us.I was a hobbit, a typical Baggins, residing contentedly in my small home with my books and my family and nothing out of the ordinary, if you please. I have just finished my first year of college, however, and though I expected it to be my grand adventure, I realize now that college is merely Gandalf shoving me out the door with a firm "I see grand things for you, Mr. Baggins; do not prove me wrong." In fact, college has proven me wrong: I realize now I have not such a solid grip on myself as I thought. I have asked myself "Who am I?" more times in the past year than I have the rest of my life combined. I have thrust myself past the borders of my Shire and now stand in awe at the world before me. No longer are the people of Earth tales in stories and things to be seen on television screens; now they hover at my fingertips, an actuality I haven't experienced prior.College is my step out the door, teaching me to acknowledge and understand other beliefs and ideals and incorporate them into my own belief system; after all, a belief is not an inheritance. It must be sought after and seized, and then tested, before it can truly be your own. College is the whetstone that sharpens the ideals and definitions of who I am as a person. In this, I have stepped out of what I once thought comfortable. As my world view expands, so does my comfort zone. I continue my college career with purpose: "Home is behind, the world ahead. There are many paths to tread." I am in the midst of a grand adventure, and I tread those paths with anticipation and not a small bit of trepidation as I push beyond the physical and mental borders of my home into the entirety of the world of which I am a component. College granted me the sight to realize that the world I saw on my television is not a place too large for someone like me, but rather that I am a part of it, and if I continue my adventure with strength and dignity, I could, in fact, become an influential part.