To the Fellowship of the Rings

Though we worked under the same employer for some time, our paths never crossed. Different shifts, different hours, different roads entirely. When finally we found ourselves side by side, a single roaring machine between us. It wasn’t grand gestures that drew us together, but quiet admiration. We saw in each other a steady work ethic, shared respect for others, and a deep regard for who we each were becoming and compassion for the journeys we’d taken to get here. Lunch breaks turned into deep conversations. Deep conversations turned into evenings spent playing games and lingering on calls a little longer than planned. Though we never complained. In a world that often feels gripped by the clutches of a mad sorcerer, we realized we didn’t have to live that way. We could choose kindness. Choose honesty. Choose one another. And so our journey began…