Daily (Bilbo Baggins–style) Digital Life Litany for Protection, Direction and Stewardship

Caveat emptier: This post was drafted with help from an AI assistant (Perplexity)— but ideated and edited extensively by the human, Bill Acton

Bilbo Baggins–style Digital Litany

Wikipedia

Dear Lord,

I am quite fond of my comfortable little routines,

even when they live inside a glowing screen.

Still, adventures seem to find me,

even in my inbox and browser.

So grant me hobbit-sense

 in this sprawling online Middle-earth.

Teach me not to wander too far

down dark tunnels of links

where trolls and tricksters wait.

Help me recognize 

when a “treasure” is cursed—

a deal too good, a story too wild,

a request too urgent.

Keep my passwords tucked away

like important papers in a locked chest,

my personal details hidden

like the exact location of Bag End.

When insistent messages come knocking

like dwarves at suppertime,

give me the freedom to say, 

“No, thank you,”

to shut the door on scams,

and to only open it 

for what is true and needful.

Guard the Shire of my family—

their savings, their reputations, their quiet joys—

from distant dangers that arrive 

with just one careless click.

And if I am called, now and then,

into brave acts online—

speaking up for someone, reporting a fraud,

warning a neighbor—

then give me courage for that, too.

So that when all is said and done,

and the screen goes dark,

I may sit with a simple cup of tea,

knowing I have stewarded this small, digital life

as faithfully as any hobbit can.

AI‑assisted creative work: This litany is an imaginative parody pastiche using generative AI. It imitates the public persona of [Bilbo Baggins] for commentary and devotional reflection. It is not created by or affiliated with [Bilbo Baggins], and should not be taken as his real views or words.”


wracton@gmail.com
williamacton.legalshieldassociate.com