Leading By Remaining Grounded
I love Bilbo Baggins’s poem known as the “Riddle of Strider”: “All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken, A light from the shadows shall spring; Renewed shall be blade that was broken: The crownless again shall be king.” This poem is in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring. I posted about this poem back in January in Don’t Let the Lack of Glitter Fool You: Uncovering True Value Beyond the Shine. I am rereading The Fellowship of the Ring right now and when I came across the poem again the phrase, “Deep roots are not reached by the frost” really jumped out at me.
When Bilbo says, “Deep roots are not reached by the frost,” he’s using a metaphor to convey resilience and strength. The idea is that something with deep roots, like a sturdy tree, can withstand harsh conditions, such as frost or storms, because its foundation is strong and well-anchored.
The lesson suggested by Bilbo is that true strength and stability come from inner qualities, core values, or deeply-held beliefs. No matter how challenging external circumstances become, those with ‘deep roots’ can endure and remain grounded.
Byron's Babbles 
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