The Boy I Used To Be

I used to be such a BIG Tolkien fan. The "Lord Of The Rings" Trilogy, I mean. From the time when I was less than 20 until some time in my forties, I read it at least 5 times, once every 5 years approximately. I guess I may be overdue at this point, though I did see the movies when they came out. Perhaps that will count for one! In any case, I hardly need to read them again, I have overdone it already. I can wait a little while. Even though I miss it, like a former cigarette smoker misses his smokes! My soul is not my own! But I am older now and I can resist the urge. I will, and not be angry that I can no longer discuss it with my friends. By the time I saw the movies, there was hardly anyone I knew who wanted to speak of it, whether they liked it or not. They're old, too; they saw it, that was it, it was over. If they discussed it, it was with someone else and they had no breath left for it when I came around. I was sorry for that, but there's nothing to be done about it. I sometimes think that even people who cared about it have discussed art and literature to the point where they want to puke. And I don't want them to puke on me. So mostly I have hushed. Most of them I don't even tell about my clownish multi-colored blog. They would probably think that I was running it on my last braincell and that wouldn't be far wrong. I am not the boy I used to be.

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