“There was a lot more to do than anyone had guessed.”
When the hobbits came home, the war wasn’t over. Not for them.
They returned stronger, wiser, and deeply scarred—and found the Shire under new shadow. It had not burned like Gondor or crumbled like Isengard. It had withered. Slowly, subtly. Its spirit dimmed. Its joy stolen. Its songs silenced.
It wasn’t an army that saved it. It was four hobbits who had seen the world—and remembered who they were.
They didn’t return with vengeance. They returned with clarity. They organized. They rallied. They woke the hearts of their people. And in doing so, they reminded the Shire of its soul.
That story has always stayed with me.
Because coming home is its own kind of war. You return changed, but the world expects the same version of you. You carry silence in your bones, and no one sees the weight. You look around and wonder—Why does everything feel smaller? Duller? Wrong?
Tolkien understood this. In his letters, he noted that the “Scouring of the Shire” was essential. It was about responsibility—about not waiting for someone else to fix what’s broken. About taking all that you’ve learned and living it where it matters most.
And here’s the truth: it’s often harder to restore what you love than it is to fight for something far away. It’s harder to confront apathy than dragons. It’s harder to plant gardens than swing swords.
But the hobbits did it.
And so can we.
If you’ve come home to a place that no longer fits…
If you’ve outgrown the roles people assigned to you…
If you feel the call to quietly rebuild what once gave you joy—this scroll is for you.
You don’t need anyone’s permission.
You don’t need to be perfect.
You just need to remember who you’ve become—and bring that version of you to the work.
The Shire won’t heal overnight.
But with your hands, and your heart, and your story,
it can grow green again.
🌀 This scroll is part of the When All Other Lights Go Out book of scrolls.
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