power: literal and figurative

The torrential rain during the first half of today was disorienting. It is currently late in the afternoon and the sun has ironically decided to shine intensely. The overall mood from where I am writing this post is somber, which I attribute to a collective dried-after-being-drenched experience. The aftermath of the downpour included massive flooding and power outages--my home included. Estimated time of power restoration is midnight (I resumed this post in the everning and the power has returned :))

On the topic of power...During the past two weeks, our family rewatched the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings movies in a piecemeal manner. This is the nth time I've seen parts or the whole of this series and it still gives me an emotional high. The dialogue, acting, cinematography, and background score are incomparable. I'm among the majority of the audience who enjoys all the battle scenes--not because of the violence, but because of the sequences and choreography. Include the little moments of friendly banter among the protagonists ("That still counts as one!" by Gimli) and also when Eowyn says "I am no man" as she removes her helmet revealing her gender and then proceeds to slay the Witch-King of the Nazgul after he taunted her and stated "no man can kill me!" Powerful scene. I feel for Eowyn all throughout the story, so much so, that I once posted how I preferred her over Arwen. I take that back; also like Arwen. But the character who reigns supreme for me (at the moment) would be Samwise Gamgee. The combination of fierce loyalty, selflessness, fortitude, and lightheartedness that his character demonstrated in the story is truly a benchmark. The one ring had such power over most people yet Sam was immune to its darkness. His fraternal love and integrity made him confident of his purpose. He was kind but not naive. Easygoing yet courageous. Now that's power.