"The shadow of the fear of the Black Riders came suddenly over them again. Ever since they had entered the Forest they had thought chiefly of getting back to the Road; only now when it lay beneath their feet did they remember the danger which pursued them..."
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In this week's chapter, "Fog on the Barrow-Downs," Frodo and company leave Tom's house, get attacked by a Barrow-wight (A kind of wraith which was originally supposed to be related to the Black Riders), get saved by Tom, and then finally return to the Road. They have spent 3 chapters in the Old Forest, which is half of the time (measured by chapters) they've spent on their whole journey. So far as the Hobbits are concerned, the Old Forest is as big as a part of their adventure as anything else! So it is no wonder, as they reach the end of the Old Forest, they believe the hardest part of their journey might be done. But in fact, they only recall the danger from which they first fled. As it is said, "From the frying pan and into the fire."
A friend of mine taught me an important distinction. Lots of things are important, but sometimes some are plainly urgent. They don't just need careful and focused attention, but they need it now. In fact, action is needed almost more than attention. The situation must be resolved. And if I do nothing, the situation will still be resolved, just without my input, and therefore likely not in a way I'd desire. If I wish to have an effect, I must act immediately.
When the hobbits were in the Old Forest, the evils it contained became urgent. The trees and the barrow wights were the danger they were facing. Even though the inhabitants of the Old Forest have no idea about the Ring, and probably don't really care (Tom Bombadil is actually immune to it - he doesn't turn invisible when he wears it and, when Frodo puts it on and vanishes from the sight of his companions, Tom can still see him as if nothing happened), they are still barriers that must be surmounted. They cannot be ignored. Even when the Black Riders are on the minds of the hobbits, they are relegated to a position of potential threat, rather than present.
How many times have we needed to prioritize dangers and goals and hopes and evils. We cannot deal with them all at once, and we are not always in control of them (indeed, it would not be problem if we had control over it). Sometimes one takes over our present life and must be dealt with at that moment. Let's imagine your wedding is falling apart. This is important. But then your car breaks down on the road. That becomes urgent, even if we can all agree it probably isn't as important. An urgent issue is one that must be addressed (and keep in mind: ignoring an issue is still a way to react to it, even if it is a particularly poor one).
But an urgent issue can cloud our judgment. The idea of coming home to someone, even someone you aren't in love with, might be look doable after dealing with a broken car. And indeed it is doable. Sometimes urgent problems have a way of making important problems seem negligible. Your car had to be dealt with at that moment. Your marriage has been falling apart for a while. No rush to get out. Dealing with the car was exhausting. Why address another crisis?
Before the text tells us Frodo and company remembered the true danger they faced, it tells us this: As soon as the hobbits return to the Road and are out of the Forest, Frodo remarks: "Well, here we are again at last!" 'Again'. Why again? They've never been to this part of the Road. Personally, I'm uncertain as to why they know this is the Road. Is it common knowledge there is only one Road (which would explain why that word has been capitalized these past few chapters). What does Frodo mean when he says "again"?
We understand his meaning when we realize he does not mean the Road. He means the Quest. He means the danger, the important danger. Urgent Vs Important can be a helpful dichotomy, but it can also be distracting. If you only deal with the urgent, you may ignore the important. And how does something become urgent? Usually there are signs a problem is coming. If you deal only with what is urgent, you are never in control. You are always aiming your hose at the latest blaze, rather than the source of the fire. You are fighting the tentacle of the octopus closest to you, rather than aiming your sword at its head, thus rendering all tentacles useless.
Read the first paragraph again. The phrase "shadow of the fear" implies a kind of dread - it is an emotional impact. They realize this danger, the danger of the Black Riders, is now urgent. But Frodo has already acknowledged the danger on his own terms. "Again, we are facing the crux of the problem. Again, we are facing evils we know nothing about and are nearly powerless against. Again, we are back to the important problem."
"Well, here we are again at last". Why at last? It is not as if they've been here before, as previously shown. So what at last? Again, Frodo means the Quest. Frodo has been yearning for this. Frodo, we can deduce, has always known the Old Forest has just been a digression. Frodo, throughout the book, has shown remarkable focus to the Quest - he does not get distracted. He bravely tells his friends he must leave when he might have remained in Buckland, he presses Gildor for information even though it is clear Gildor does not want to say too much, and then Frodo leaves the safety of Tom Bombadil's house. Frodo has never lost sight of his goal, and he seems to understand the gravity of it. Frodo is relieved to be back on course 'at last'. Frodo is invigorated, not exhausted, at the opportunity to tackle it.
May we be like Frodo, who faces urgent problems with vigor and then, when he can face the important problems, breathes a sigh of relief, not because the urgent problems are no more, but because the important one can finally be addressed.
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